The invisible twin
by Mo-Jansen
Summary: AU Bella and her sister, Vanessa, move to Forks where Bella is still the invisible twin. She meets Edward and becomes close to the Cullens, while her sister befriends the La Push pack. Will they end up on different sides of a war or unite both covens?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer. I just toy around with different ideas.

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Chapter one

**Epov**

My family had moved to Forks, Washington a year ago and at the time I thought it would be better if I were to stay behind in Denali. I had been fed up with living among three perfectly matched couples and wanted to try living our there on my own. Especially since my mind-reading abilities made it impossible for me to get away from it.

To be honest, my intentions of doing so were rather selfish. Tanya had been attempting to seduce me for a long time and usually my gentlemanly manners made me decline her offers, but after an especially excruciating night at our home when my siblings and parents were all giving in to their baser needs for each other, I decided it was time to see if Tanya and I could work.

I needed a release from all the pent up frustration and what better way to do that than to indulge in a sexual relationship with a vampire as beautiful as Tanya.

My sister Alice, who had the power of foresight, was the only one of my family who had known of my decision. She had scolded me for giving into Tanya, because she could see that it would be nothing more than a physical relationship and she wished more for me. At the time I had snapped at her to keep her thoughts to herself and not tell anyone.

After they left for Forks, I gave into Tanya almost immediately. She was fierce and raw and so was the sex. But that was all it was. Sex. I fucked her many times, but never made love to her. After three months of this unsatisfactory arrangement I had grown tired of it, but because I could hear Tanya's thoughts, I knew I would hurt her if I broke it off.

So I continued, changing my selfishness into cowardice and keeping up the charade. It was only when Tanya came to me a few weeks ago that I knew I had to change something.

_"Edward, I want to visit your family. We haven't seen them since we got together and I would love to finally meet them as my future in-laws."_

_I choked on an unnecessary breath. "Excuse me? Your future in-laws?"_

_"Why, yes. We've been doing this for nearly a year, Edward. Why not make it official?"_

_"Maybe because I don't love you?"_

_"What does love have to do with anything? We're good together, Edward."_

_"No we're not, Tanya. Not good enough to marry without love. I won't do that to you or to myself."_

_Her eyes widened and in her mind I could see her defeat. She knew she couldn't keep me. She knew that this was merely a bond of convenience and purely physical._

_"Fine, Edward. I hope you find your happiness eventually."_

_"I hope you will too, Tanya but we both know that won't be with me."_

_"Will you leave?"_

_"Yes, I was already thinking about moving back in with Carlisle. The are going to start their junior and senior year soon, so I might as well go now so I can join them at the start of the year."_

_"Makes sense. Well, tell them I said hi."_

_"I will. Goodbye ,Tanya."_

_She hugged me and darted off through the trees without saying goodbye. Her pride was hurt and she didn't want to make it worse by watching me pack my things and leave._

So here I was, on the road to Forks, nearly an hour away from our home. As soon as I made up my mind Alice had called me to squeal in my ear how much they were looking forward to getting me back. I had grinned like an idiot, because it was then that I realized that I had missed my family as much as they had missed me.

I remembered the meadow I went to to think in peace when we were living here nearly fifty years ago and wondered if it was still there. When I saw the dirt road which lead closer to the meadow I decided on a whim to go look for it. When I parked my Volvo on the side of the road I called Alice to let her know I would be late.

"Hi, Edward. I know. Don't worry we'll be here when you decide to come home. Take your time," she said as soon as she picked up the phone.

"Well, it's nice to be reminded how much time can be saved with your visions, Alice. I'll see you guys later, then."

"Bye, Edward." she chimed before hanging up the phone.

I chuckled at my sister and put my phone back in my pocket. It was only after I got out of the car that I noticed that there was an old beat up red truck parked a little further up the road, partially hidden behind the bushes. I could smell that it hadn't been sitting there for very long, the exhaust fumes were still lingering in the air.

I wondered briefly if I would encounter a human in the forest, but since the meadow wasn't near a trail, I figured it would be safe. Besides, I could always head back if I caught their scent or thoughts.

Just to be safe I didn't run flat out, but in a human running speed. When I was almost at the meadow, I heard a soft feminine voice drift towards me, accompanied with the most delectable scent I had ever smelled. I ghosted to the edge of the clearing and inhaled deeply. Because the wind diluted the fragrance I could appreciate it without going insane with thirst, but I had no doubt that I would have been unable to stop myself if I had come across this woman in a closed space.

I decided to put myself out of temptations way by moving to the north of the clearing, so she was downwind. Again I heard her soft voice, which was almost as alluring as the smell of her blood.

I was hiding behind the trees, so I couldn't see her clearly, but I caught flashes of her dark brown hair and translucent skin.

"Yes, gran, we arrived just fine."

Due to my acute sense of hearing, I was able to catch what was said on the other side.

_"I'm glad to hear it, honey. But you sound tense, what's wrong?"_

"It's already started, grandma and we've only arrived four days ago."

_"Don't tell me your father is playing favorites."_

"No! Of course not. No, dad's just his usual quiet self and he's treating us both the same, but it's just...every one else."

_"Oh, dear. Tell me about it hun."_

"Gran, it's just so frustrating. The day after we arrived Billy Black came by with his son Jacob to drop of Harry Clearwater's fish fry. They greeted me because I opened the door, but as soon as they saw Nessie, I was air to them. I didn't even get included in the conversation, no matter how hard dad tried. It was like I was invisible."

_"Don't let it get to you, Bella. You know it's not you. You're just as special as she is, maybe even more so."_

I smiled now that I had a name to go with the floral fragrance and bell-like voice. It would make it easier for me to identify her in school. I didn't know why it mattered so much that I knew her name, but I refused to over think this little surprise in my day.

"I'm not special, gran. We went grocery shopping the other day and we ran into two girls and a bunch of guys that are going to be in our class when school starts and none of them even introduced themselves to me. How can you say I'm special when nobody even sees me?"

_"Didn't Nessie introduce you?"_

Bella took a deep breath. "She stopped doing that as soon as she started to get favored by mom."

I felt bad for her. I didn't know anything about her, but it was clear to me that she was lost in the shadow of a sibling. It had to be tough to be singled out, I could identify with her in a way. It wasn't like I was dwarfed by the presence of my siblings, but I was the odd man out because I had never met my mate.

_"Bella, I'm going to tell you something that you might find a bit offensive, but you need to hear it. You're far more mature than Vanessa, despite the fact that you're twins. She's a typical teenage girl who enjoys all the attention and thrives on it, no matter who it hurts. You are responsible, smart and pretty much grown up, that intimidates people. You have such a shield up around yourself, Bella. You need to lower it so people can see the real you. Maybe then Nessie won't be so much more appealing than you."_

Bella sighed and I could smell the salt of her tears. "I'm going to go, gran. I want to read for a while before I head home. Talk to you soon."

_"Bye, sweetheart and remember to open yourself up."_

"I'll try. Bye gran."

As soon as she ended her call there was silence. Complete and utter silence. Surely after such a call Bella would be thinking about it. I was worried that I had lost my gift for reading minds for a moment, but then I recalled something Bella's grandmother had said earlier. She had mentioned that Bella had a shield up. That could explain her mental silence.

I decided to take a small gamble and climbed up a tree so I could watch her without being seen. When I pushed the leaves aside I sat there frozen.

In the middle of the meadow, lying on her back was the most beautiful angel I had ever seen. Her dark hair was splayed out beneath her, creating a dark halo around her pale heart shaped face. Her cheekbones were delicate, her nose small but perfect, her mouth full and in the most beautiful pink color. She had her eyes closed, so I had no idea what they looked like, but I imagined them to be deep and soulful, no matter the color.

Her body was thin, but not overly so. Her clothes were too wide for her, so I couldn't clearly see her curves, but I knew they were there under those layers. Hidden from the world, but still enticing.

I could clearly see the dried tears on her cheeks and I had to hold myself to the branch I was perched on so I wouldn't run to her and cradle her in my arms to comfort her.

I was confused that this girl, Bella, could evoke such deep feelings of protectiveness in me. I blamed it on the fact that I overheard her conversation with her grandmother and I had felt sorry for her and tried to push it aside, but it was harder than I thought.

I stayed there for nearly an hour, never taking my eyes off Bella's form. She had fallen asleep sometime while I was watching her and I couldn't make myself leave for fear of something hurting her if I left her out here alone.

She mumbled incoherently in her sleep and suddenly shot up, her eyes opened and she groaned. I noticed her eyes were a deep chocolate brown and my guess that they were soulful was right on the mark. It made her even more angelic.

She scrambled to her feet and picked up a bag that had been lying near the edge of the trees. I watched her disappear behind the trees and listened to her soft footfalls as she made her way back to her car.

I remembered that she had parked her car on the same dirt road as I so I quickly jumped down and ran full speed back to my car, making sure to run in a large arch to avoid running into Bella.

When I got to my car I could faintly hear her heartbeat and footsteps. I breathed out heavily and quickly pulled back onto the road to head home.

I deliberately drove at a slow pace to see if her truck would come up behind me. As soon as I saw the red rust bucket pull onto the road behind me, I put my foot down and sped home.

**Bpov**

I was in the meadow that I had discovered by accident two days ago when my gran called. She always had the perfect timing for her calls. I didn't know how she did it, but she always contacted us when we needed her, whether it was me, Nessie or my dad. Of course she knew something was wrong when she heard my voice and I had to admit that my twin was the cause of it once again.

Vanessa and I had lived with out mother ever since she and my father divorced twelve years ago, but mom got remarried and I suggested Vanessa and I move in with dad so mom and Phil could spend some more time alone. Nessie had thrown a fit that lasted several days, but eventually I managed to convince her with promises of uncharted territory and the prospect of discovering a whole new source of boys.

I knew it was playing dirty, but it worked and that was all I wanted. I had had enough of being ignored, of being the plain uninteresting twin sister of Vanessa Swan and I had a small amount of hope that things might be different here in Forks.

Of course I was proven wrong on our first full day here. The visit of Billy and Jacob had proved enough and to make matters worse, the encounter at the Thriftway was even more embarrassing. I hated my sister in that moment. She never even said anything about me.

The following day I had pulled out the hiking boots I hadn't used since last summer and I headed out into the woods to be alone with my thoughts. My father had been very understanding and he had handed me a backpack filled with a couple of maps of the area, a first aid kit, a flashlight in case I got lost and was surprised by the darkness and a can of mace.

I laughed at my father for that, but he reminded me that wild animals would also be repelled by it if needed, so I stopped laughing and tucked the can back into the pack. I thanked him and with a promise that I'd be careful I went out at five in the morning.

I hiked the entire day, only stopping to eat the lunch I packed or take some pictures with the small digital camera I had on me at all times. That night Vanessa had announced that she had been invited to a party. Dad didn't want her to go, but Nessie kept whining and nagging him until he relented. I spent the night with my dad, watching 'A few good men'.

My dad and I were very much alike. We were both quiet people who were uncomfortable with talking about feelings and emotions. So when my dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hugged me awkwardly I had to fight back my tears. He knew I was feeling crappy about the situation with Vanessa, but couldn't do anything about it.

Vanessa came stumbling into the house an hour after curfew, drunk. Dad and I had just cleaned up after the movie had finished and he quietly told me to go upstairs. It didn't matter that I was locked in my own room, I could still hear them yelling at each other.

The next day I went hiking again and stumbled across this meadow. So I went back here today, practically running away from the second fight between Nessie and my dad. We've been here for nearly four days and already I was doubting my decision to come here, well at least to come here with Vanessa. It might have been a better idea to head out here alone. Dad wouldn't have minded.

But we were here together and I knew I had to deal with it. Grandma pretty much told me the same thing, so after I hung up the phone I lay on my back with my eyes closed and let my mind wander. I tried to think of ways to be more open, but I had no idea how. I drifted off to sleep getting sucked into a bizarre dream.

_I was standing in a large field, Vanessa was on the other side. I could feel a presence beside me, but when I turned to look there was no one. I shrugged off the feeling and focused on Nessie._

"_You!" she screamed._

_I didn't know what was wrong, so I stepped closer to her._

"_Stay away from me!" Nessie screamed._

_I froze when a large wolf jumped forward and snarled at me. I slowly backed away and stumbled. I reached my hands back to catch my fall, but two strong arms caught me. I turned to look at my savior, but before I could see his face the image faded._

I woke up with a start, not knowing what that dream was about but I felt uncomfortable. The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end, giving me the distinct feeling that someone was watching me.

I stretched and groaned and quickly got up to leave. I walked swiftly, without looking back., quickly getting in my car the moment I reached it. When I turned onto the road I saw a sleek silver car in the distance. As soon as I noticed it, it sped off at break neck speed, giving me another uncomfortable chill.

When I arrived home it was quiet. I knew dad was at work, but since he grounded Nessie, she should be at home.

"Ness? Are you there?" I called as I walked up the stairs to drop my bag in my room and switch my hiking boots for my sneakers.

"Nessie!?" I called again as I walked back out in the hallway.

Still no response, so I pushed the door to her room open. I shook my head at the mess that lined her floor. She had clothes thrown everywhere, Cd's strewn across her desk without their cases, make up articles scattered on her vanity. It was a pig sty. But obviously my sister wasn't there.

With a sigh I headed back downstairs and made a quick sweep of the ground floor knowing that she wouldn't be there. I debated on calling our father, but knowing Vanessa she would manage to get caught on her own, so I took a sketchbook and pencil with me and headed to the back yard.

I sat down on the porch swing and drew my legs up under me. I started sketching the yard and added a few creative touches that made the picture look like it belonged in a story book for children. I smiled sadly when I realized this was the first time I did this since Casey died. I fingered the tattoo on the inside of my wrist and sent up a quick prayer for my only friend.

Nessie did get herself caught. And in the most ridiculous way. She had been invited by some of the party goers to hang out at La Push beach. The cops were called when they started getting too loud and of course dad was the one to respond to the call.

"Dad, why are you being so difficult? Mom, never was this strict!" she shouted as soon as they came in the door together.

"You're under my roof now, Vanessa and you will live by my rules. I gave you the benefit of the doubt the first night, but you couldn't even make it home on time and don't even get me started on the drinking," dad responded quietly.

"Ugh! I'm young! I want to live!"

"You can live once you prove to me you can be trusted. Today you proved that you can't. Turn in you cell phone and laptop now. You will get them back at the end of next week as long as you behave yourself."

Vanessa screeched in indignation and stomped up the stairs. When she came back she thrust the items into dad's hands and then turned to me.

"I'm not coming down for dinner. You can bring it up to my room," she declared with her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me? What am I, your maid? If you want dinner you come downstairs." I replied in a stunned tone.

She had been rude at times in Phoenix, but never downright demeaning. This was just taking it one step too far.

"Oh, don't go all huffy! Can't you do this for me, please?"

"No."

"Fine! Then I won't eat!" she yelled before thundering back up the stairs.

I rolled my eyes and headed to the living room. She really needed to get a reality check if she thought my world revolved around her. Dad fell next to me with an exasperated sigh.

"Was she this bad in Phoenix?"

"It seems worse, but she's always been rather focused on herself."

"Maybe it would help if your mom would give her a call or something. Nessie told me she hasn't contacted either of you, not even an e-mail or text message."

I frowned, thinking back to the past four days and realizing he was right. My mom and I never had a very strong bond, I reminded her too much of dad for that, but she and Vanessa had been practically joined at the hip in the past years.

"Why doesn't Ness just call her?"

"I don't know. I just hope she knows her boundaries now. I don't know if I can handle the next two years if they continue like this."

"She probably will tone it down once she talks to mom."

We sat in silence after that, not really feeling the need to fill the silence with mindless chatter. When it was time for me to start dinner, dad helped me without me having to ask. We were easy that way. Vanessa came back downstairs when the lasagna was in the oven.

"Dad, Bells, I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. I just wish I could talk to mom, but she won't answer her phone. I didn't mean to take it out on you and I promise that I'll mind the curfew and stuff," she said in a small voice.

"Thanks for apologizing, kiddo, but this doesn't mean you're off the hook," dad said.

"I know dad. I know."

"Good, now come sit with us. Dinner's almost ready."

The last two weeks of summer break were reasonably quiet and uneventful. Every day the weather was reasonable I'd go hiking, usually ending up in the meadow. I hadn't had that eerie feeling again, so I figured it was just the dream that had spooked me.

Vanessa was behaving a little better, but she still had her moments of selfishness. Mom did call, but it took her three more days and the only excuse she had, was that she was busy. I nearly snorted and called her a liar, but it wouldn't change a thing so I didn't.

One weekend to go before school started and I was dreading it.

**Epov**

The two weeks after my impromptu run in with Bella, I was constantly debating with myself whether or not to go back to the clearing. Part of me wanted to see her again and maybe even talk to her, but a bigger part of me realized the threat it would pose to her safety and the most prominent emotion I had felt when I saw her the first time was protectiveness. Finally the Friday before school started, Alice had had enough of my indecisiveness.

"Edward, for the love of god will you make up your mind? Your mood swings are giving me a headache and you're affecting my husband with it. He keeps changing his mind while I'm trying to seduce him."

I threw up my hands and flashed her an apologetic smile. "Fine, I'll go tomorrow. She might not even be there."

Alice sighed and headed out of my room to go back to Jasper. Again she was the only one who I had told what happened in the meadow, mostly because she cornered me about it, but she had kept it quiet and I now owed her a couple of big favors. I wondered if buying her a car would be over the top.

I heard a loud mental squeal from Alice and knew I had found my way of repaying her for keeping the two secrets I was able to keep in this house. So I spent the rest of the night looking for a car for Alice.

I waited for noon to start towards the clearing. If she was going to be there I wanted to have a choice whether or not I would approach her and I wouldn't be able to do that if she came after I did. I felt a tight knot in my stomach as I thought about our first encounter. An encounter she wasn't even aware of and I wondered, for the umpteenth time since then, whether I had been wise to stay or just plain stupid and maybe even creepy.

When I arrived, I could hear her steady heart beat and smelled her floral fragrance, venom pooled in my mouth in anticipation. I knew I had to be careful, so I stood there inhaling her scent greedily in order to somewhat desensitize myself to it.

When I felt confident enough to not drain her the moment I stepped into that clearing I walked through the trees and forced myself to act surprised.

"Oh! Wow, I never knew someone else came here," I said staring in her shocked eyes.

She had jumped up and was clutching her backpack to her chest.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she asked in a demanding tone, but I could hear the light shake of her voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to find this place in fact. I don't mean you any harm, promise."

She kept her guarded stance and I knew I would have to put in a little more effort to get her to loosen up enough for me to join her here. I smiled tentatively and she returned it reluctantly.

"You didn't tell me who you are," she murmured.

"Sorry, I'm Edward Cullen. I just moved out here. My family lives a couple of miles outside of Forks."

She smiled a little more heartfelt and the anticipation in my stomach increased.

"Hi, Edward. I'm Bella Swan. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too and just so you know I'm not some psycho."

She chuckled then and I vowed to make her laugh at least once today, just because I was so curious as to how it sounded. If her chuckle was this adorable, her laughter must be enchanting.

"Well, maybe I'd better go. If you came looking for this place, you must come here for the peace and quiet, so I'll just get out of your way."

"You don't need to do that. You were here first after all."

She blushed and shifted from foot to foot. In that moment I would've given my immortality to know what she was thinking of.

"We can both enjoy the peace and quiet of this place. I just wanted to go here to read. My siblings are too loud and I haven't gotten used to it since I came here," I stated with a warm smile.

She nodded minutely and sat back down into her previous position, placing that backpack down beside her. _Ah, progress._

"What were you going to do with that bag if I were a dangerous man?"

"My dad has graciously provided me with a huge and very heavy Maglite which can be used to beat your head in and a can of pepper spray, so unless you were some otherworldly creature I would've been able to cause you severe pain."

I stopped breathing when she said that and was debating on whether or not to leave her here.

"Hey, don't look so scared. I won't use it against you. You look like a decent enough guy."

"You can't always tell by the way someone looks, Bella," I said curtly.

She frowned. "See, I should leave. I'm making you uncomfortable."

"No! Please, stay. I'm not uncomfortable, I promise."

Bella looked like she was about to ask me another question, but shook her head and returned her attention to the book that she had picked up from the ground.

We sat in silence for a while, the both of us lost in our book. I looked up when I heard Bella sigh and slap her book closed.

"Finished?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. I only had about five chapters left when you came."

I frowned, had that much time really gone by?

"I'm a very quick reader," Bella explained unasked.

I smiled. "Ah, that explains it. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess."

"How did you find this place?"

"The second day I was here I went hiking a few miles east from here and I got a little lost because it had been a while since I navigated with a map and compass. I sort of stumbled across it and the little stream that's a few yards west from here. They both helped my find my way back and I sort of been coming here ever since."

I smiled. She was a smart girl, her gran was right about that.

"How did you find it?" she asked me after a moment of silence.

"When my family moved up here last year I spent a week here to help them set up the house. I took a day off work and ended up stalking through the woods. I really did get lost, because I had absolutely nothing to navigate with, so when I finally decided to use my common sense I kept an eye on the sun and kept heading east towards the house. I ran across this place and decided to come looking for it again today."

She smirked. "Remind me to give you a copy of my map, it's on there so you can find it quicker next time."

If only she knew how unnecessary her kind gesture was. "It's all right. Now that I have been paying attention I will be able to find my way here pretty easily."

"Can I ask you something a little personal?"

I shrugged and gestured for her to continue.

"You said something about your family moving here last year? Why didn't you move with them?"

This was something I had rehearsed with my family to make my story in school more believable.

"I was seeing someone in Alaska and I had a hard time leaving her, so my aunt and uncle who live up there, offered to let me stay with them. I had originally planned to stay until we would go off to college together but then we broke up a couple of months ago and things just got awkward. I finished out the year and moved back in with my parents."

**Bpov**

Hearing Edward talk was soothing and slightly arousing at the same time. He had a velvety voice that sounded seductive without him even having to try and it made me shiver in delight. The fact that he was absolutely gorgeous probably helped too.

He had the most amazing tousled bronze colored hair and deep, warm, topaz eyes. His facial features were strong and masculine and I could tell he had a very well defined stomach, by the way his t-shirt clung to him. He was most certainly swoon worthy. I mentally smacked myself several times for some very out of character thoughts I had about him.

"Can I ask you how old you are?" Edward asked, breaking the silence once again.

"I'm sixteen, but I'll be seventeen on the 13th of September. You?"

"Turned seventeen in June. So I take it you are going to be a junior?"

"Yeah, so we'll probably be class mates, seeing that Forks is so incredibly huge," I said with a hint of sarcasm lacing my voice.

He laughed and the sound made my body tingle all over. I smiled in return and looked back down at my book, lightly tracing the words of the title with my finger so I wouldn't be caught staring at him.

"Do you have any siblings?"

I looked up from the book, a frown on my face. "Yeah, a twin sister."

"I can't imagine another girl as beautiful as you," he murmured with a sweet smile.

"We're fraternal twins and she's far more beautiful than me. I'm just plain, she's gorgeous. Mark my words, once you see her you'll forget I exist."

I had no idea what made me say that, but Edward made me feel like he would listen to my darkest secrets and never judge me for them.

"I highly doubt that, Bella. And believe me when I say that you are anything but plain. I could never forget you even if I tried."

My eyes snapped to his and I could no longer look away. I felt this inexplicable pull towards him and wanted nothing more than for him to sit closer to me. When reality trickled back in my brain I knew if I would let my mind cling to this attraction I had for him, I would be all the more hurt when he would drop me after meeting Nessie. So I tore my eyes away from him and awkwardly cleared my throat.

"Bella?"

"Hm?"

"Will you promise me something?"

I peeked at him from under my lashes. "Depends on what it is."

He pursed his lips, his eyes were filled with a sadness I couldn't comprehend.

"I usually am a very private person and tend to distance myself from my peers. Promise me you won't let me do that to you? I want to get to know you as a friend, but I have dark moods every now and then. Please stick with me, even when those hit me?"

He sounded so desperate and forlorn that it made my chest hurt.

"I promise on one condition."

"Anything," he breathed.

"Don't forget me once you see my sister. It would kill me."

I sounded just as broken as he had moments before and the air between us suddenly filled with an electric hum. I was lost in his intense stare and I felt my heart flutter erratically.

Without thinking I got up. He rose to his feet almost instantly. Her took five large steps and stopped inches from me. Close enough that I should feel his warmth, but it wasn't there. If anything he radiated cold, but the strange thing was, it wasn't deterring me. It drew me closer.

I reached up my hand to cup his cheek and gasped at how hard and cold he was under my touch. Like he was carved out of marble. We stood there staring at each other for a few minutes and then in the blink of an eye he was gone. The silence was deafening and I felt my chest tighten at the loss of his presence.

For a moment I thought I had been dreaming, but then I spotted the book he had left behind. I shuffled forward and picked it up, determined to return it to him when I saw him in school on Monday. If he chose to acknowledge me that is.

_No_, I berated myself, _he begged you to stick with him, so you will give it to him no matter what._

**Epov**

When Bella had reached for my face I panicked. I stood frozen for a few minutes, but then I ran. Too fast. She had already touched my skin, felt how hard and cold I was. She had probably registered that I wasn't breathing once I was that close to her. She already knew too much. How could I have thought I could be friends with her? Friends with a human girl. I scoffed at my stupidity.

I was on the verge of kissing her when my mind finally processed the danger I was putting her in. The urgency to keep her safe outweighed my desire to kiss her in that moment and I fled from the temptation. I felt like a coward.

When I arrived home, Alice immediately hauled me off. She whirled around as soon as we were out of hearing range.

"What were you thinking, running away like that?" she demanded.

"Excuse me? You're saying I shouldn't have run?"

"You did ask her to be your friend didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And didn't she practically beg you for the same thing?"

"Yes, but she knows I'm not human. She touched my skin, she must've felt it."

Alice shook her head. "I don't see her saying something to anyone, but I do see you ignoring her until she gives up on you."

The image of Bella's defeated expression flashed through Alice's mind and I felt my chest tighten at the sight.

"See? It's not a good idea to shut her out. You'll hurt her. She needs a friend more than anything, Edward. I can see that she's going to be sad in the next few weeks and you might be able to help her through that."

I took a deep breath and forced myself to let my mind drift back to the moment in the meadow. She had gasped when she had felt my skin, but she didn't move her eyes from mine. Her heart rate sped up a little, but there was no fear permeating the air. If anything she had leaned in a little closer.

"Ah," Alice breathed. "That's better."

I saw her vision and it made me smile involuntarily.

_I was sitting next to Bella in biology and we were talking, laughing and occasionally brushing the other's hand as we worked with the microscope. Bella would occasionally blush and look down at the table. She looked absolutely adorable._

"Thank you for telling me, Alice."

She waved her hand. "It's nothing, just pushing you in the right direction. I just have better means to determine which direction is the right one."

**Bpov**

When I returned home, I quickly shot up the stairs and stuffed Edward's tattered copy of Romeo and Juliet in my book bag. I didn't feel the need to explain what I was doing with a book that I didn't own after I returned from a hiking trip.

Nessie was in her room, singing along to the radio, clearly in a good mood. I walked over and knocked on the doorframe, watching her pluck a dress from her closet.

"Oh, hey twin. What do you think, is this a good dress for a party with college boys?" she asked, holding the dress in front of her.

"What party with college boys?"

"Oh, dad lifted the punishment because I managed to behave half decent. So Jessica Stanley, who you met in the store, asked me to come to a party at her cousin's frat house in Seattle."

"Does dad know?"

"No! What do you think I am, stupid?"

"Ness, you just got of probation, do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Oh, please Bella. Stop being such a goody two shoes. Don't you dare tell dad."

"I will if you're not home tomorrow before two p.m."

"Deal. I'll text you in case something comes up and I can't make it home on time."

"Promise me you'll be careful?"

"Sure, sure! I'll call you if something goes wrong."

I shook my head and told her the dress would be perfect, before heading back to my room. I flopped down on my bed and closed my eyes.

Edward's face appeared in my mind and I frowned. I remembered his cold hard skin like I was still touching it. It wasn't human. He wasn't human. I sat up as the words registered in my mind. Edward isn't human. The truth of the words struck me hard. I recalled our entire interaction and pulled out the things that stood out.

He was incredibly beautiful and his eyes had changed color when he looked at me intently. It hadn't really registered with me earlier, but it now proved my realization. His skin was cold and hard and I remember now that he hadn't been breathing when he was close to me. And then he was gone at a speed that wasn't human.

I sat frozen on my bed, shell shocked. I took a few deep breaths. Was I scared of him? No. He didn't appear to be a danger to me, so no, I didn't fear him. Could I still be friends with him? Yes, I promised him I would and I was sticking to it.

With those two questions answered, I pulled out my laptop to see if I could find what he might be. I entered some of his characteristics, but came up with nothing fitting. I read several legends and obscure stories, but none of them was a perfect fit. The cold skin did come up a lot in vampire mythology, as did the speed, but I was afraid to believe that to be the truth. I eventually gave up and resolved to ask Edward when I got a chance to talk to him alone.

Sunday the rain was pouring down relentlessly and me and dad got comfy on the couch with a bunch of my DVDs. Nessie came home at noon, looking rather fresh for someone who attended a college party. She silently thanked me when it was clear that dad was oblivious. I just shrugged. Without saying a word she curled up on the couch with me and dad and we finished watching the movies together.

At dinner Nessie nudged my shoulder. "I talked to Jess a lot last night and she told me the infamous Cullens have another brother who starts school tomorrow too."

I had to bite back the smile that threatened to break out on my face.

"Who are the Cullens?"

"Oh, didn't I mention them yet? Apparently they are these absolutely gorgeous teenagers in our school, but they ignore everyone, something about feeling better than others. They're all adopted and get this, they're also dating each other! Two couples living under the same roof as adoptive siblings. It's a little freaky if you ask me."

Dad looked up from his plate and cleared his throat. "They aren't related, Vanessa so it's not freaky."

I raised an eyebrow at his sudden urge to defend them.

"What?" he asked, looking from me to Nessie. "I just don't like hearing gossip. Their father, Carlisle is a good doctor and a nice man. I cannot imagine those kids being anything but friendly."

I smiled, knowing at least that Edward was friendly.

"Well, as I was saying, they have another brother. He stayed with his aunt and uncle last year because he didn't want to leave his girlfriend. They broke up a little while ago and now he's going to attend our school."

"We'll just have to see tomorrow if he lives up to the hype, huh?" I asked innocently.

"Yeah, definitely."

~*~

The next morning I got into an argument with Nessie about our transportation. Dad had bought us both an SUV, with the understanding that we had to share it, but Nessie was refusing to drive to school with me.

"Come on, Bells. You've been using that truck ever since we got here, why can't you drive that thing to school?"

"That SUV is mine too, Nessie. You can't just confiscate it."

"Watch me."

She shoved me aside and got in the car, peeling out of the driveway before I got a chance to stop her. I groaned and forced my feet to move toward the rusty Chevy I had been using over the past two weeks. It was still dirty from my many trips into the woods.

When I got to school, Nessie was waiting for me. She shoved a bunch of papers in my hands and half ran away from me. I noticed a bunch of kids waiting for her and rolled my eyes. Same story, different school.

I let my eyes sweep across the lot and they landed on a shiny silver Volvo that had just pulled up. It looked a little out of place in the parking lot and I immediately wondered who it belonged to. I didn't have to wait for long, because the first person to exit the car had a mop of unruly bronze hair.

Edward Cullen.

I dug through my bad to fish out his book and jogged over to him. He caught my gaze when I was half way over and smiled an incredibly sexy smile. I stopped a foot away, extending his book toward him.

"You dropped it on Saturday," I whispered.

"Thanks, Bella. I was wondering where it was. I have to go get my schedule. See you around?"

"Sure. See ya."

I watched his retreating form for a moment, appreciating the nice view. I chuckled and turned to leave for my class, but stopped in my tracks when a small pixie like girl with the same golden eyes as Edward came bounding over.

"Hi! I'm Alice, Edward's sister."

"Oh, er hi! Nice to meet you?"

She smiled warmly. "You too. I've got to get to class, see you later."

I nodded and walked off towards my first class, a goofy grin plastered on my face. Maybe I wouldn't be invisible in this school after all.

* * *

_A/N: So here it is, my new vampire story. I hope you guys will enjoy it like you do my other stories. Please let me know what you think of this first chapter._

_Hugs, _

_Mo_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights belong to Mrs. S. Meyer.

* * *

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Chapter two

**Epov**

When we arrived at school that morning, the minds of the kids were buzzing with the new arrivals of the day. I saw the face of a girl flash in almost every mind that was in the parking lot. The girl had long dark red ringlets, a splash of freckles on her nose and big brown eyes. She had the same mouth as Bella, only slightly plumper and her frame was a little more curvy. This must be Vanessa, Bella's twin.

The thing that struck me as strange, was that nobody registered that Bella was also new. I had found it hard to believe when she told me she was invisible to most people, but I saw the proof in my the minds of those around me.

When I got out of the car the buzzing thoughts were suddenly focused on me. A very loud mental voice shook me. It was louder than any of the others, so I looked around for the source, but there were too many faces to determine who it was.

When my eyes darted across the lot, I saw Bella jogging towards me. I smiled involuntarily. I wanted to smack myself, but the need dissipated at Bella's answering grin. She stopped a few steps away and held something toward me. I glanced down and saw that she was holding my book.

I hadn't even realized I had dropped it last Saturday, but told her I did. I felt the need to hold her close to me get stronger, so I excused myself so I could get my schedule although Alice had already told me which classes I had. So I knew I had Biology with Bella and I was more excited about it than I probably should.

I spent my time exploring the thoughts of my classmates and again came to the conclusion nobody had noticed Bella. I briefly wondered if this had something to do with the reason why her mind was silent to me. Was she literally blocking every one? Alice did see her future, so it wasn't entirely true.

My next period provided me with a more plausible explanation. Vanessa Swan, who I had learned preferred to be called Nessie, was in this class and whereas most girls were fawning over me in my first class, nobody seemed to register my presence other than just that, presence, in this one. Where Bella must have some shielding ability, Vanessa probably had some form of ability to draw people in.

I also determined that the loud mental voice belonged to her. Vanessa saw me coming in and her mental images of the things she wanted to do to me, made me shudder. Tanya was a sexual creature, but she was centuries old. This girl wasn't even seventeen and had far too detailed mental pictures of rather disturbing sexual habits. She smiled at me, expecting me to come sit next to her, but I chose not to. It made me wonder what talents both girls would have if they were to become vampires.

I slid into an empty seat in the back and when the bell rang I was still without a neighbor, just how I liked it. Nessie shot an angry look over her shoulder at me before turning back to the front and paying attention to the front of the class.

The rest of the morning classes past in a similar fashion. I had no other classes with Nessie, which was a huge relief. It was nearly impossible to ignore her thoughts and it was awfully distracting. When I walked to lunch, Alice came over with Jasper in tow.

"Hey, Edward!" Alice chimed excitedly.

"Hey guys. How's the first day back going?"

Jasper shrugged. "Tedious. I can't believe the ridiculous history lessons in this school."

I chuckled at his discontent. He was a history buff and despised it when the curriculum in history was bad. I stopped walking when I heard Vanessa around the corner.

"_Hey, Bells. How's your first day going?" she asked._

Her thoughts were indignant towards her sister. She was mentally sneering at her outfit and I had to fight the urge to pull Bella away from her. They were sisters, they had shared a womb. There shouldn't be such a strain between them.

"_Just fine. Yours?" Bella asked quietly._

"_Peachy. Did you see the new Cullen kid yet? He's in my calculus class and he is sooooo gorgeous. He's is totally going to be my next boyfriend."_

I saw Bella's face fall through Vanessa's mind, but it didn't even register with Vanessa.

"_I saw him in the parking lot."_

"_And?"_

"_He is indeed gorgeous."_

"_Well, I'll have him before the week is over."_

"_Sure, sure."_

"_Don't believe me?"_

Bella shrugged and stalked off without another word. When she rounded the corner she saw the three of us standing there and gave us a tentative smile.

"Hi, Bella. You okay?" I asked as I fell into step beside her.

"A little frustrated with my sister."

"I saw her in one of my classes and let me tell you, I will have no problem keeping my promise."

Her head snapped up, sending her brown locks flying around her shoulders. I was mesmerized and fought back another surge of need to touch her or kiss her. We had stopped walking and were now staring at each other.

"Really?"

"Really. You still going to keep yours?"

She smirked, while taking my hand and giving it a little squeeze before dropping it abruptly, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink.

"Of course. I'm here aren't I?"

I looked down, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"You did run off rather suddenly on Saturday. If I wasn't going to keep my promise, I would've ignored you."

I glanced up at her from under my lashes and smiled. "I guess so. Will you sit with me at lunch?"

Her beaming smile dazzled me. "I'd love to."

We continued our walk to the lunch room and slipped into a silly game of twenty questions. I briefly panicked, because I would have to eat if she sat with me. My family was already situated at a table, a couple of trays as props in front of them.

Bella followed my gaze and chuckled. "You aren't going to eat are you?"

I turned to her, startled.

"Don't worry I won't say anything in here, but you do owe me an explanation mister."

She smiled wickedly and moved to the lunch line to get her food. I sat down at an empty table and watched as she moved through the line and weaved her way through the tables towards me.

She stumbled a few times, but never actually tripped. It was funny to watch, since I knew she hiked a lot. When she sat down she huffed in frustration.

"You'd think with all the hiking I've done I might get a little better at walking on flat surfaces."

I chuckled and shook my head. "You, miss Swan are entirely too much."

"Sure, sure. Where were we?"

"I believe I asked you your favorite gem stone."

"Right. Uhm….Topaz."

As soon as the words left her mouth her cheeks flared up.

"Why does that make you blush?"

She fiddled with the cap of her soda bottle, pursing her lips.

"Bella?" I urged.

She looked up at me and groaned. "It's the color of your eyes," she whispered reluctantly.

"I'm flattered. It's your turn."

"What's your favorite animal?"

"Ah, that depends. Do you mean as in pets?"

"No. I mean in general. I don't care if you say cow because you like a juicy steak, I just want to know."

"Ah. Then definitely mountain lion."

A snarl from Rosalie pulled me out of my Bella-bubble for a moment.

_Edward! Are you insane?_

I grinned. She was too paranoid, so I just ignored her and returned my focus to Bella. She was staring at me expectantly.

"My turn is it?" I asked.

"Yup."

"Favorite song."

"Impossible to answer. I have so many it'll take me the rest of eternity to finish my list."

**Bpov**

As I answered him, I saw him gulp. He knew I suspected something. Good. Now I could continue with my questions and hopefully get some confirmation of my theory.

"Can I ask my question, or do you demand and answer on yours?"

"Go ahead."

"If you could have any super power, what would it be?"

His eyes flew to his siblings, before he launched himself out of his seat and dragged me with him out of the cafeteria. He dragged me along with him until we reached his car. He whirled me around and kept me pinned to the side of his Volvo, by placing his hands on either side of me.

I could feel his cool breath fanning across my face.

"Bella, what are you doing?" he asked urgently.

"Figuring out what you are."

"Any luck with that?"

"Yup. You might think I'm crazy, but I think I know."

He eyed me warily. "Say it. Out loud."

"You're a vampire."

He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut before hissing menacingly. His head snapped to the entrance of the school where I recognized the distinct red hair of my sister. She was glowering at me and I could almost feel the intense hatred coming from her. The way we were standing together, must've looked far more intimate than it actually was and I sighed deeply. She was going to kill me.

Edward turned back to me. "Bella, why aren't you afraid of me if you know what I am?"

I bit my lip, not knowing how to properly formulate my answer.

"Bella, you have to tell me."

"I don't know. You just give of a vibe that screams good guy. At least to me it does. I don't think you could hurt me, because you don't want to."

"There isn't someone I wanted to drink more than you. Your blood lures me in more than that of any other. I am dangerous, Bella. Especially to you."

I shook my head. I opened my mouth to answer him, but movement over his shoulder stopped me. Nessie was coming up behind him with a deathly glare.

"Bella, what do you think you're doing?" she asked icily.

Edward growled quietly and moved to stand beside me, leaning stiffly against his car.

"Edward and I were talking," I muttered. "Mind your own business."

Edward looked genuinely surprised. A smile tugged at his lips, but he was still keeping his tense posture.

"Can I talk to you a second?" Vanessa asked through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me, Edward. Maybe I'll see you later?"

He smirked. "Of course, Bella."

I shook my head and followed Nessie who was already strutting to the other side of the parking lot.

"I told you Edward and I are meant for each other. Stay away from him," she hissed, as she turned to me.

"Oh come on, Ness. Stop with the drama."

"Bella, how could you?"

"How could I what? What on earth did I do?"

"You're going after him," she screeched, pointing a finger at Edward.

"First off, Edward and I are friends. We met last Saturday and we hit it off. You have no claim on him, Ness. So stop acting like I'm stealing the love of your life. We're friends, that's all!"

"I'm telling dad!" she yelled as she stomped off towards the building.

I couldn't help it, I started laughing and couldn't stop. Edward came up behind me with a bemused expression on his face. I slowly sobered up and wiped away the tears that had escaped my eyes.

"You should've heard what she was thinking," Edward muttered.

"You heard her thoughts?" I asked incredulously.

"Shit. You weren't supposed to hear that."

"God! Can you hear mine?"

"Stop. No, I don't hear yours. I can hear every thought in this school, except for yours. Somehow you are blocking my ability to read minds."

I gaped at him, simply unable to shut my mouth. He reached a finger under my chin and pushed my jaw up for me.

"So you are still going to try and be friends with me, despite the fact that I want to kill you?"

I slapped his chest. I immediately regretted it, because my hand hurt like hell. Edward chuckled and took my hand in his, soothing the pain with his cool touch.

"Can I walk you to class?"

I simply nodded and on impulse grabbed his hand. His smile was radiant as he pulled me back towards the school. We were at the Biology lab just as the first bell rang.

"How did you know I had Bio?"

"I'll explain this answer later, but Alice told me."

I figured this had something to do with him being a vampire, so I shut my mouth and let him pull me to the front of the class. Our teacher appointed us a lab table together, which made me happier than I probably should have been.

I slipped into my chair, smiling up at Edward, who took the seat beside me. He leaned in, his cold breath tickling my neck.

"Mr. Banner is a bit weary of me. My siblings all have perfect scores and he suspects foul play. Just so you know, he's planning on paying strict attention to us."

I chuckled quietly as Edward leaned back in his seat.

**Epov**

Bella was quiet for a few seconds before drawing a deep breath and leaning towards me, tilting her head so her lips were close to my ear.

"I was in an AP program in Phoenix, so I'm not that worried," she breathed, sending shivers down my spine as her warm breath caressed my neck.

"Ms. Swan, Mr. Cullen, would you two like to share what you were talking about with the class?" Mr. Banner called from the front of the class.

Bella's cheeks flamed red as she turned her head towards the front of the class.

"Bella was just telling me she was afraid she might be behind on the material and asked if I wanted to study with her so we could both make sure we are up to par with your lessons, since we're both new and all."

Mr. Banner didn't believe me, but didn't have the guts to question me. I stole a sideways glance at Bella, who had ducked her head and was busy trying to become invisible after the unwanted attention we had garnered.

The funny thing was, that some people finally noticed Bella and recognized her as Vanessa's sister. Mike Newton, who was seated two rows in front on the other side of the aisle, was checking her out. He decided that he had a better shot with Bella, than the ever popular Vanessa. His thoughts drifted to lecherous territory, eliciting a low growl from me.

I immediately felt Bella turn in her seat towards me. She looked up at me with concern, her question burning in her eyes. 'Later', I mouthed. She nodded and turned her attention back to the front of the class. Mike had been called upon by Mr. Banner and thankfully he was now focusing on the lesson, which allowed me to relax.

Class was over before I knew it and I waited for Bella so I could walk her to the gym for her next period.

"Bella! Wait up!" Mike called from behind us.

When I saw the shocked expression on Bella's face I snickered. She turned around reluctantly and waited until Mike had caught up with us.

"I know you're new and all, but do you want to go to the movies this weekend?" he blurted before even properly thinking about it.

"Er...No."

"Why not?"

"First of all, I don't even know your name. Second of all, I don't date."

"Why? Is he your boyfriend or something?" Mike asked with an indignant scowl on his face.

Bella groaned quietly. "Seriously...what's your name?"

"Newton, Mike Newton."

Bella raised her eyebrows at his response, shaking her head incredulously. "Well, Newton, Mike Newton. I don't want to go to the movies with you."

Mike was about to whine some more, but I stepped in front of Bella to cut him off.

"Listen, buddy. The girl said no. Give it a rest and get to class." I turned back to Bella and was met with a furious glare.

I blinked in surprise, opening my mouth to ask her what was wrong, but she whirled around on her heel and stalked off to the gym. Mike saw where she was headed and his thoughts turned triumphant when he realized he had gym class with her, immediately imagining her in a pair of tight shorts and a sports bra.

The urge to punch his lights out was overwhelming. Thankfully he jogged off before I could lose my flimsy control. I was still reeling from the past couple of minutes when I sauntered into my Spanish class, which I had with Emmett.

"Hey, bro. What's gotten your panties in a bunch?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"It's nothing that concerns you."

"Aw, Eddie. Don't be like that. Was it the girl?"

I sighed. He wasn't planning on letting up soon, so I slouched into my seat and instead focused on the mind of Mike Newton to see what Bella was up to. The teacher was pairing them all off to play badminton and as luck would have it, the little creep was teamed with Bella.

Watching her trough Mike's thoughts was bittersweet. I got a chance to watch the way she moved in her shorts and a t-shirt, both of which not nearly as tight and tantalizing as Mike had fantasized about, but lingering in Mike's mind also meant that I was forced to listen to his internal debate on trying to ask her out again.

Emmett kept asking me what was up in his mind until I finally elbowed him in the ribs and telling him to shut the hell up. Mrs. Goff, our teacher, was less than pleased with my comment.

"Mr. Cullen. I will not have you using such language in my classroom. If I hear it again, I will send you to detention."

In her mind detention was an excuse to get me alone so she could attempt to seduce me. I shuddered, giving Emmett a full on belly laugh. Mrs. Goff gave him a reprimand as well and went on with explaining her lesson plan for the semester.

**Bpov**

Edward's response to Mike after Biology had me pissed. If he thought I wasn't capable of handling myself, he had another thing coming. Vampire or not, he had no right to just jump right in and tell Mike off in my name. I could and would take care of myself and I decided to confront him about it tomorrow, or maybe after class. With a nod to myself I headed out of the locker room, into the gym.

Gym was my version of hell. Aside from hiking, I was definitely not athletic. Despite the fact that I could make my way across rough terrain without falling, I couldn't do the same on flat surfaces. No, on flat surfaces, especially gym floors, I was a klutz. To top off the hazard that was Bella Swan in a gym, I had to wield a badminton racket today.

But the absolute kicker of my first gym class at Forks High, was being paired with Mike Newton. I had gotten a creepy vibe from the guy when he talked to me after Bio, especially when he kept whining after I turned him down. Now he was behind me, probably watching my ass.

After ten minutes of playing it soon became clear that I was no good, so Mike ended up running all over the court to catch all the shuttles. During our second game one came flying straight at me, so I had to react, but Mike, being used to catching it all by now, was in my way, so I ended up smacking him on his forehead with my racket.

He clapped his hand over his eyebrow and cursed loudly. He sat down on the floor and I simply hovered nearby, not knowing what to do. He pulled back his hand and I could already see that he would have one hell of a mark just above his eyebrow.

"Shit, Mike. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

He waved me off, muttering something about me being a danger to the common health. I snorted, but opted to keep my mouth shut from now on. Coach Clapp told me to sit out the rest of the class, which naturally was fine by me.

As soon as the bell rang, I hurried to the locker room to shower and change in hopes of catching Edward before he took off for the day. Unfortunately it was to no avail, his silver Volvo was missing when I reached the lot. With a disappointed sigh I shuffled over to my truck.

"Bella!" Mike yelled.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want, Newton?"

"A bunch of us are going to the beach now, there will be a bonfire. You coming?"

"Sorry, but no. It's my first day here and I have some classes that I have to catch up on, so I don't have time."

"But your sister is coming."

"Well, Ness can do whatever she wants, but I'm not going. Bye, Newton." I muttered before climbing into my rusted truck.

"See you tomorrow, Bella!" Mike called just before I slammed the door shut.

From the corner of my eye I saw him jog over to the flock of people that were gathered around my sister. With another roll of my eyes I pulled out of my parking space and headed back home.

**Epov**

I had been forced to leave school earlier than I wanted, due to a nearly snapping Jasper. Carlisle had wanted him to practice his restraint, so he had postponed hunted a little longer than usual. A girl in his class had gotten a paper cut and he was barely able to control his blood lust in that moment.

We had all feigned a family emergency so we could drag him out of there and get him into the woods to hunt. I was the only one who went with him, because with Bella's alluring scent around me all day I was getting thirsty and I didn't want to risk a close call like Jasper's.

When we were both satiated we sat side by side on a fallen log. Jasper's guilt was rolling off him in waves. It seriously started to affect my mood and I shoved him.

"Jazz, lighten up. You didn't do anything and you learned where your limit is. Just hunt a little more often than the rest of us do, or maybe we both should. If I want to be friends with Bella I need to be well fed," I added with a light chuckle.

Jasper cocked an eyebrow, eying me carefully. "What you're feeling right now...it confuses me. It's a complicated mix of joy, protectiveness, fear, lust, adoration and guilt. I can't wrap my head around it. What is this girl doing to you, man?"

"I'm not so sure myself. I asked her to be my friend and she has accepted me." I inhaled deeply. "She knows what I am."

Jasper stiffened, a low growl rumbling in his chest. I held up my hands in defense.

"She figured it out all on her own and believe me she wouldn't have bought any story I might have tried to tell her."

He furrowed his brow. His mind was swirling with the possible ramification and then settled on forcing me to talk to Carlisle about it.

"I will talk to Carlisle, Jazz. But she already knows and we can't do anything about that now. She won't tell anyone, just ask Alice when we come back home."

"Listen, Edward. I don't have a problem with it as long as you make sure she keeps her mouth shut about it. Rosalie on the other hand..." he trailed off, knowing I got the implication perfectly.

We sat in silence for another hour or so before we decided it was time to head home. Jasper reminded me to talk to Carlisle about Bella again and I assured him I would. When we got to the house I immediately went to my car to go to the hospital. It was my best shot at talking to Carlisle without an audience.

As I walked to his office I heard the mental screeching of Vanessa Swan. She was cursing up a storm and wondering why the hell she had to be here. I frowned, wishing I could find out what exactly happened. As I unconsciously inched closer to the waiting area the scent of fresh blood invaded my senses. And it wasn't just any blood, it was Bella's.

I instantly stopped breathing while looking around for an easy way out. The only option I had was hide out in Carlisle's office, so I darted down the hall and into his room. I locked the door behind me. Not that it would do me any good if my control were to slip, but at least it was one more obstacle between me and Bella's fresh blood.

I drew in a shaky breath and sank down on the couch against the far wall. I dropped my head in my hands while trying to detect Carlisle's mind. I found it almost instantly, but regretted looking for him in the same second. He was treating Bella.

"_Good afternoon. I'm Carlisle Cullen and I will be the one stitching you up today. I see here that your name is Isabella Swan, not Charlie Swan's daughter by any chance?" Carlisle asked with an amused smile._

"_We both are," Vanessa snapped._

_Carlisle was shocked at her rude interruption, but shook it off as a result of stress._

"_Now Isabella can you tell me what happened?" he asked as he tilted up her head to check the gash on her chin._

The sight of her blood wasn't that bad as long as it was unaccompanied by her scent, so I leaned back against the back of the couch and continued watching the exchange through Carlisle's mind.

"_I came home and when I walked up the steps to the front of the house I slipped and landed chin first on the top step. I've had stitches there a few years ago, so I think it just split open again."_

"_I think you're right. It'll always be a weak spot. Let's get this cleaned up and sewn back together."_

_Bella smiled tentatively and closed her eyes as soon as Carlisle started working on her. Vanessa was hanging back, disgruntled about my father's disregard of her presence._

"_I guess you were lucky your sister was home to drive you here, huh?" Carlisle inquired as he wiped the dried blood away from her Bella's throat._

_Vanessa snorted. "Yeah she was. I was on my way to La Push, now everybody is waiting."_

"_I'm sure they'll live if you are half an hour late," Carlisle responded._

_He was trying to stay calm, but something about Vanessa's behavior was rubbing him the wrong way and he was debating on asking her to wait outside._

**Bpov**

Vanessa was picking at her nails as Dr. Cullen was working on my stitches. I knew she was pissed that I had ruined her trip to La Push, but as the good doctor had mentioned, her friends could live without her for half an hour, so I tried my hardest to ignore her fidgeting.

Dr. Cullen had the same cool touch as Edward, so I figured he was a vampire as well. I was dying to ask him how he managed to keep his urges under control around all this blood, but I knew very well that this was not exactly the time and place to ask him. Besides, as far as I knew he didn't even know I knew two of his kids.

"All done. Keep it dry and clean and come back next week to have them taken out," he said softly while patting my knee.

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen. I'm sure I'll see you around."

He quirked an eyebrow and for a moment he reminded me so much of Edward that I was temporarily stunned.

"I..uhm. I tend to fall down a lot, which quite frequently lead to trips to the ER. So..." I explained lamely.

He smiled despite my stupid comment, before shaking my hand and saying goodbye. After he left the exam room I quickly gathered my things and hurried out to the car, where Nessie was already waiting.

"Finally. Damn, couldn't that guy work a little bit faster?"

"If you're in such a hurry you'd better get going."

She grumbled something under her breath. I thought I heard 'sarcastic bitch', but since I really wasn't in the mood to fight with her, so I just kept my mouth shut. When we arrived home she practically shoved me out of the car and sped off as soon as the door was closed behind me. I stared after the SUV for a few minutes, before shoving off the urge to hit something and heading inside.

I did my homework and even managed to catch up on a little where I was behind. I was about to start dinner when I got a call from my dad.

"Hey, Bells. I have to work late tonight, so don't count on me for dinner, I'll grab something from the diner across the street. Is Nessie home?"

"No, she's at La Push with a couple of kids from school. Something about a bonfire."

"Ah. Okay. I think I'll be home around nine, ten at the most, so I'll see you before you go to bed."

"Sure, dad. Be safe."

"Always am, Bells."

We said goodbye and hung up. I stared into the empty kitchen, feeling utterly alone. With a deep breath I pulled out a loaf of bread, some left over chicken and mayo to made a quick sandwich. Cooking for myself was the most lonely feeling in the world, so I tried to avoid that as much as possible.

After dinner, I buried myself under the covers of my bed with my most used book, Wuthering Heights. I lost myself in the tale of Kathy and Heathcliff and for a few hours all was right in my world.

I woke up the following morning tucked neatly under my blanket, the book on the nightstand and my lights off. I frowned. Charlie never checked on me and Nessie would either wake me or left me right where I was, so who in the world could've done this?

I forgot all about my sleeping arrangements when I heard Vanessa and dad arguing downstairs. With a groan I slid out from under the covers and crept down the stairs. I sank down on the bottom step and listened to their shouting.

"Dad! You are so mean!"

"No, Nessie. You are being mean to that kid. You are leading that boy on. He's only fifteen and he has a good heart. I don't want you taking advantage of him, just because the kid has a crush on you."

"It's not my fault he kept trying to impress me!"

"You could simply tell him you aren't interested."

"But Quill wanted to be with me, I didn't ask him to."

"Nessie, I'll say this once more and then I do not want to discuss it any further. Do not break the poor kid's heart. Be truthful with him about your feelings."

Vanessa huffed, stomping off towards the stairs. When she saw me on the steps she sneered and shoved me aside so she could go to her room. I simply rolled my eyes at her dramatic exit and went to see my dad.

"Morning, Bells. You sleep okay?"

"Yeah, fell asleep reading."

"Hey, what happened to your chin?"

"Oh, I almost forgot already. I slipped on the steps outside and bust my chin open. Dr. Cullen sewed me up."

"Did you get a chance to meet his kids at school yesterday?"

"Yes, I did. I met Alice and Edward, although I already ran into Edward when I was out hiking last Saturday."

"Really? You didn't mention that when Nessie brought them up."

I shrugged. "Wasn't really worth mentioning. We talked for a bit, but not much. We did get to know each other a little better in school yesterday, but Ness wasn't too thrilled about that, so maybe I should just cool it for now."

"Just because your sister isn't thrilled about you meeting new people, doesn't mean you can't try and be friends with them. That is what you and the boy are, right? Friends?"

"Yeah, dad. We're just friends. A handsome guy like him won't ever see me in any other way than just as his friend."

Charlie frowned, but kept his mouth shut after that. I almost asked him what he was thinking, but stopped myself. I probably didn't want to know anyway.

**Epov**

Last night I had made a mistake.

_After talking to Carlisle I had been reassured that my friendship with Bella was not necessarily a bad thing. Carlisle did warn me to remind Bella never to mention our nature to anyone, not even her father or sister, but I had assured him that she would not be a risk to us._

_I went to Bella's house in the hopes of catching her still awake and maybe talk for a little while. But when I arrived I heard the steady thumping of her heart and her even breathing and I knew she was asleep. The rest of the house was quiet, so neither her father nor Vanessa were at home. That realization snapped my control to stay away from her. I darted across the yard and climbed the tree outside her window._

_When I saw her asleep with her face pressed to her book, I was assaulted by a whirlwind of needs. I wanted to hold her in my arms while she slept, I wanted to kiss those pouty pink lips, I wanted to caress those slightly rosy cheeks, but most of all I wanted to be closer to her._

_I knew once I inched her window open that I was being creepy, but I could no longer resist the pull I felt when I saw her. She was like a magnet towards which I gravitated against my better judgment. When I was close enough, I knelt beside her bed and traced one finger from her temple to the tip of her busted chin. A small smile tugged at the edges of her lips and it made me smile in return._

_I watched her for an hour, but when I heard the sound of Vanessa's car, I decided it was time for me to go. I pried the book from under her head and placed it on the nightstand. Then I tucked her in a little better so she wouldn't get cold and with the lightest brush of my lips on her forehead I said my silent goodbye and took off towards the house._

_As soon as I came home I was shoved into a wall by Rosalie._

"_What the hell are you thinking? You are jeopardizing all of us with your stupid fascination with this human girl! When will you finally take responsibility for your action, huh Edward? When will you finally grow up!"_

"_Rosalie, calm down."_

"_I will not calm down! The girl knows our secret! She has to die!"_

"_NO! DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON HER, ROSALIE!" I roared._

_She was stunned into silence, even mentally. Then slowly the thoughts started filtering through and what she concluded shocked me to my core._

"_What?" I whispered._

You are in love.

"_No, that's impossible."_

You are, take it from me. You of all people never bother with humans, but now you are willing to defend one who knows what we are? Come on, Edward. Admit it to yourself, you're in love.

_My knees gave out in that moment. I slid to the ground, breathing heavily. It couldn't be. I wasn't able to love, and even if I was, I didn't deserve to find love._

"_Oooh!" Alice yelled from upstairs._

_I heard her rapid footfalls as she hurried to where Rosalie and I were facing each other. Alice's thoughts were a flurry of excitement and happiness._

"_Alice, slow yourself down! I can't love her. I have to leave."_

"_Can you?" she asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow._

_I tried to decide that I would go to Alaska, but the pain in my chest when I thought about leaving Bella behind was tearing me apart inside._

"_See?" Alice asked with a smug grin._

_Rosalie snorted. "This is absolutely classic! You laughed at me for falling for a human on the verge of death and now here you are, in love with a human who is in perfect health."_

_I growled as she started laughing her ass off. "Screw you, Rosalie!"_

_I shot up and ran up the stairs, slamming my bedroom door behind me. The wood groaned in protest, but the door thankfully stayed on it's hinges. I heard Emmett's and Jasper's amused thoughts as the girls relayed the news. I refused to believe it to be true._

But now that I was standing in the school parking lot waiting eagerly for her to arrive, I knew they were all right in their assessments. I was falling in love with Bella and it scared the hell out of me.

* * *

_A/N: I'm back from my holiday so I am finally able to update. I hope you guys like it, let me know, okay?_

_Thank you all for reading._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to Mrs. Meyer. I own nothing.

* * *

**

Chapter three

**Epov**

When Bella pulled up her eyes were all wrong. She looked troubled and I was itching to ask her what she was thinking. Instead of doing that I simply asked her if she would allow me to walk her to class.

"Sure," she said, but her voice sounded flat, just as wrong as her eyes were.

"Bella what is wrong? You seem a little off today."

"Ness cornered me before I left for school. She wants me to stop being friends with you."

I felt my face fall. "So we can't be friends?"

"I don't know, Edward. I don't want to give up our friendship just because my sister is nagging me on it, but she's never given up on anything she wanted. She'll just keep trying to pry our friendship apart, so why set ourselves up for heartache when we lose touch after getting close first?"

"You cannot be serious, Bella. You should not just accept anything she wants. There has got to be an end to your selflessness at some point, Bella. What happens if you fall in love and your sister decides she wants the boy you like. Will you let her have him, or will you fight for his love?"

"Let's not talk about this now, okay? Will I see you at lunch?"

"Of course. Take care, Bella."

She nodded and turned to leave me standing staring after her. I wanted so much to take her away to our meadow and keep her talking until she told me everything that was weighing her down.

_Edward! Keep an eye on her. I can't get a good read on her. It's like she's starting to close herself off._ Alice warned me silently from the other end of the hallway.

With a heavy heart I stalked off to my first class. I went through the motions, my mind still trained on Bella. I tried watching her through the eyes of others, but nobody was really paying attention to her. It frustrated me to no end.

At the sound of the bell I made my way to Bella's next class instead of my own. I leaned against the wall, waiting for her to arrive. She walked right past me, her eyes lowered to the ground, shoulders hunched forward.

"Bella," I said quietly as I gently took her arm to pull her towards me.

Her eyes shot up to meet mine and I felt my chest tighten at the forlorn look in her eyes.

"Come with me," I said.

She looked at the door to her classroom and sighed. "Fine."

I held her elbow lightly as we wove our way through the throngs of students bustling in the hallways. When we reached my car I released her arm and opened her door for her. She silently slid into the seat.

I was worried about her closed off expression. I had found her eyes to be the best way to read her, but now they were guarded, entire unreadable. There was nothing there. The longer the ride took, the more frustrated I became. When I eventually pulled over on the side of the dirt road, I practically jumped out of the car and yanked her door open.

As soon as Bella was out of the car I placed my hands on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes.

"Bella, do you trust me?"

She nodded.

"Then close your eyes."

She did as I asked, her face not registering any reaction whatsoever. I sighed and picked her up bridal style. When even that didn't garner a response I started running. We were in the clearing within minutes. I placed Bella on her feet and took a few steps back.

"Bella, open your eyes."

I watched as she slowly raised her gaze to meet mine. She seemed to have drawn back further into herself and in that moment I felt completely helpless.

"Bella, please tell me what's wrong? Did you change your mind about or friendship because of what I am or because of what your sister thinks? Why do you want t give up on us before we even had a chance to start?"

I knew it sounded like we were more than just friends, but I couldn't help it. I was falling in love with her while she was completely pulling away. Frustrated, I ran my hands through my hair.

Bella's phone started ringing and for one second her eyes livened up. She picked it out of her pocket, but her face fell when she saw the caller ID.

"Hey, dad," she said when she answered.

"_Bella? Why did I get a call from school that you left after first period?"_

"I wasn't feeling well, dad. Edward's driving me home."

"_That Cullen kid?"_

"Yeah."

"_And you two are just friends, right?"_

"Yes, dad. I already told you he doesn't like me like that."

My eyebrows shot up, but Bella seemed to have forgotten that I was standing only a few feet away.

"_Okay. Are you alright Bells? You sound a little off. Is it because of her?"_

"A little bit. I had a fight with Nessie this morning and she brought it up. I can't visit her grave today and it makes it harder, you know."

"_I can only imagine. Try not to lock yourself away, Bells. Maybe Edward can keep you company. It's not good to brood about it all on your own."_

"Sure, sure. I'll talk to you tonight."

She hung up her phone and stuffed it back into her front pocket. Her eyes still downcast she started rubbing some sort of pattern on her wrist. I looked at what she was doing and to my astonishment she had a tattoo there. It was an intricate design of vines and leaves and flowers that ran all the way around like a bracelet. Only one of the flowers had been done in a blood red color.

I closed the distance between us and took her hand that was tracing the tattoo. She seemed to snap out of her closed of state and to my intense relief I saw a little of the real Bella in her eyes again.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

**Bpov**

Do you want to talk about it? Such a simple question, but it could mean so much when it came to the answer. I wanted to tell Edward what happened with Casey, but I was feeling lost inside my own head. So lost, I didn't know if I would be able to tell him exactly how it all happened.

"Bella?"

I snapped out of my internal monologue and focused on his eyes. I had only known Edward for a short time, but I already loved his eyes. They could so easily tell me what he was feeling. Right now they radiated concern and a hint of irritation.

"I want to talk about it," I whispered, unable to tear my eyes away from his. "But I'm not sure if I can explain it all. It's a really emotional time of the year, so..."

"I understand, Bella. We have all day and if you don't want to continue, we'll stop and I'll take you home, but please let me be a friend to you. Talk to me, love."

I nodded and sank down onto the grass. Edward sat opposite of me, waiting patiently for me to start. My hands were shaking and my heart was beating erratically. I wanted desperately to be closer to him, but I was afraid he would get angry.

Noticing my fidgeting, Edward took my hands in his and started rubbing soothing circles on the back. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was close enough.

"Me and Nessie haven't always been this different from one another. When we were little we were twins like you'd expect. We were best friends and did everything together. When I fell, Nessie felt the pain, when she was happy, I was happy too. It all changed the fall we turned thirteen."

"Nessie started developing and I didn't. It was the first thing she started to make fun of. At first it was only when we were at home, but as the months passed, Vanessa started to garner more attention in class. Everyone wanted to be her friend and Nessie loved the attention. That's also the time when my mother started favoring Vanessa over me."

"I started to become more and more invisible. Nobody even spoke to me in school. Kids I had played with since the day we moved to Phoenix, suddenly didn't remember me anymore. All anyone ever wanted was to be close to Vanessa."

"I was alone for little over a year. At the start of the next school year there was a new student, Casey Lane. She was different from the other kids. First, she actually acknowledged me as a person and second she wasn't at all charmed by Vanessa. She and I became fast friends. We were as close as I had once been with Ness. We studied together, went shopping together, saw movies together. We were best friends in every way."

"I knew Vanessa was jealous that I had a friend who did not like her, but I never knew how deep that jealousy ran. Casey and I hung out for more than a year without anybody coming between us. It wasn't until Casey met Michael that things changed between us. Casey and Michael fell in love almost instantly and that meant her spending a lot of time with him."

"I didn't really mind. I just wanted her to be happy and she was. Extremely so. So I took a step back and let her have her happiness with Michael. Vanessa constantly taunted me about it, but I refused to bite. I knew the bond Casey and I had would never break, no matter how in love either of us would be."

"On Valentine's day, Michael was going to cook a nice dinner for Casey and they would spend the night at his house, because his parents weren't home. Casey told me when I was helping her get ready for their date, that she wanted to sleep with him that night. I told her to be safe and if she needed me, that she should just call me."

"I never got a call from Casey. She didn't show up to school the next day or the day after that, so that Saturday I went to see her. She was gushing about Michael and how much she loved him, but there was something off about her. I asked her why she hadn't been in school for two days, but she said it was nothing."

"It took me four weeks to find out what was wrong with Casey. Michael had forgotten to use protection and she had been to the doctor's to get a morning after pill, but her dad found out. He had been so furious he went to look for Michael and beat him up pretty badly. Casey managed to bargain with her dad that she could keep seeing Michael as long as there was someone to supervise them at all times."

"It worked for a while, but Michael, who had turned eighteen by then, started to feel stifled. He got really irritated about the whole deal and came over less and less. Then at the beginning of August Casey snuck out of her house to go see Michael alone. She texted me to let me know where she was, just to be safe. Not even an hour later Casey was at my front door."

I closed my eyes, trying to fight back the tears that were threatening to choke me. Edward's strong arms came around me and he pulled me into his lap. He put my head in the crook of his neck, gently holding me, rocking us back and forth in a soothing rhythm.

"Casey had gone to Michael's and had climbed the tree next to his window so she could surprise him. Only he wasn't alone. He was in bed, naked, with my sister. He didn't even see her before she took off again. I tried to tell her she was better off without him, but instead of dumping him she tried to find ways to be alone with him."

"It was a mess. Casey knew that he was still seeing my sister behind her back, but she kept up appearances and even went as far as to allow him to have sex with her in the back of his car in a back alley somewhere. It completely tore her apart."

"But then school started again and the worst possible thing happened. Casey overheard my sister telling her friends that she and Michael had been laughing their asses off as Casey's attempts to keep him tied to her. Casey broke down. She cried for days on end, wouldn't let anyone into her room except for her mom and me. It was so heart wrenching to see what my sister had done to my best friend."

"A week later I went over to Casey's to bring her her homework. I found her in the bath, her wrists were slit open and a goodbye note to Michael was on the sink. It's been a year today. Michael was devastated after he read the note. He broke it off with Vanessa immediately, but he still felt so guilty he started drinking heavily. He got himself into the hospital with alcohol poisoning a few weeks later. He was still in therapy last I heard."

**Epov**

I had no clue what to say or do, so I simply held her close to my chest and tried to soothe her by rubbing small circles on her back.

"Did you get the tattoo for her?" I asked after a long and heavy silence.

"Yes. I wanted to remind myself to never ever allow myself to sink that low. I have had nightmares for months about finding her in that tub and it was only after I got this tattoo that I was able to sleep again without the bad dreams."

"It looks good on you and knowing the meaning behind it, makes it even more beautiful."

She pulled her head from my shoulder to look at me. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

"I didn't do anything."

"Exactly. You didn't panic or interrupt. You just held me and listened. Thank you."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

Her eyes betrayed her disappointment and for a brief moment I allowed myself to wonder if she wanted to be more than friends, but quickly berated myself for the thought when I felt the venom pool in my mouth at the thought of kissing her.

It didn't matter if she wanted to be more than friends, we couldn't be. It was far too dangerous.

My thoughts on that were cut short when Bella suddenly pressed her lips to mine. I was frozen for just a moment, but when I felt her pull away my body and mind finally snapped to attention. With a groan I pulled her back into me and my lips moved against her soft warm ones.

Bella whimpered as her hands found their way into my hair softly stroking and pulling, while our lips moved in synchronization. Her warm tongue traced my bottom lip and I hesitantly slipped mine into her mouth.

The sensation was overwhelming all of my other senses. All I could taste, feel and smell was Bella. What surprised me most was the complete lack of venom or urge to drink her blood. All I really desired in that moment was her body. She pulled away when the need to breathe became too much.

"Wow," she whispered. "I didn't think you'd feel the same."

"Why?"

"Really, Edward? Look at yourself and then look at me. You are the epitome of male beauty and I am insignificant."

"You are not insignificant, Bella! To me you are the most beautiful girl in the world. I have never felt this way about anyone. No vampire or human in my near century of existence has ever enchanted me the way you have."

She shook her head incredulously. "You don't have to say that just because you pity me. I know I'm sad but there's no need to lie to me."

I growled in indignation. How dare she belittle my feelings for her? I cupped her face in my hands and pressed my lips urgently against hers. She whimpered, placing her small hands against my chest, pushing ever so slightly. I pulled my mouth from hers and trailed small kisses down her jaw to the sensitive skin below her ear.

"Bella, I don't know how to prove to you that I meant what I just said. I think you are exquisite. I want your blood more than that of any other human, but the lure of your body and mind is even stronger."

I shifted her in my lap a little to underline what I was saying. It was a completely inappropriate, but I needed her to feel how much I wanted her.

"Do you feel that, Bella?" I whispered huskily in her ear. "That is what you do to me by just looking at me."

Her breath caught in her throat as I bucked my hips up a little. With widened eyes she turned in my lap until she was straddling me. Her eyes darted down to my crotch, making me twitch. A wicked smiled curved those beautiful lips as she shifted her hips into me. I hissed at the friction.

"Be careful, Bella. I don't want to rush into this. I don't even know what you want from me."

She bit her lip, embarrassed all of a sudden.

"What are you thinking, love?"

**Bpov**

"I'm sorry for not being clear with you on how I feel, but it's not like you flat out told me what you feel," I muttered, looking over his shoulder.

"Bella, look at me," he said quietly.

Sucking in a deep breath I turn my eyes back to his. He was smiling so adorably that all I really wanted was to tackle him to the ground and kiss him until I had to go home.

"Bella, I am in love with you. I realized it last night. I am totally and completely enamored and I will never want anyone else but you. You will be the love of my life for as long as I exist."

His voice never wavered, his gaze never strayed. He was being completely honest while he was baring his soul for me.

"Edward," I breathed. "I am so in love with you it hurts to be away from you. You don't know how hard I was fighting to keep myself from closing off today, but I couldn't fight it and then when Vanessa made that remark about us and Casey this morning, I felt crushed. If I ever were to lose you, I don't know if I could survive."

"You'll never lose me, Bella. When our kind falls in love, it is forever. We rarely change and when we do it's so profound that it won't change back."

"That is so weird."

"Weird?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"God, you look so hot when you do that," I blurted, flushing red immediately after.

Edward's laughter rang around us, warming me from the inside. His laugh was warm and deep and as beautiful as everything else about him.

He quieted down after a couple of minutes, his face suddenly serious. Gently he cupped my face in his hands and lowered his mouth back to mine. This kiss was different than the ones before. It was slow, loving and reverent.

I sighed and melted into his arms. When his tongue slipped between my slightly parted lips the softness slowly slipped away, making room for more urgency. His arms wound around my waist, pulling me close against him. I moaned when I felt his hardness beneath me again and shifted restlessly on his lap. His answering groan sent a path of fire from the pit of my stomach to my center.

In the next second he had us flipped over and I was lying on the grass while he hovered over me, placing fevered kisses all over my neck and jaw. My hands were tugging on his hair, earning a shudder and groan from his lips. He felt wonderful above me. His strong arms encasing me, making me feel safe from the world.

I wrapped my legs around his waist in order to lift my hips, grinding against his in search of that delicious friction I craved.

"God, Bella!" he moaned breathlessly. "You don't know how much I want to make you mine right here, right now, but I think it's better if we stop and I take you home now."

"Why?"

I realized I was whining, but I felt so good when he was kissing me like that, that I didn't want to leave this moment until I absolutely had to.

"Because if we stay here any longer I am not going to be able to stop. And before you say you don't want me to stop, I want you just as much as you want me but there are some things we need to know before we take that step. Things that concern your health."

I frowned, not understanding what he was saying. "What are you talking about?"

"As far as I know all human fluids are replaced with venom when we change. Apparently kissing you doesn't harm you, but I am not taking that risk if I am going to make love to you. I just want to be sure it won't affect you negatively. And for that I have to talk to Carlisle."

I blushed. He was so calm when he explained things like that, but he was going to ask his father of sorts about our sex life. I had never been this mortified in my life.

"Bella? What's wrong?"

"It's just a little embarrassing having your father know what we are planning to do."

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Remember I am a mind reader and I know far too many intimate details about my siblings as well as my parents."

"Eeww! Don't give me those mental images. If I see your father for my appointment…. Just…yuck. Don't ever say stuff like that again."

Edward rolled off me, laughing so hard he would probably be heard for miles around. I huffed, crossing my arms across my chest. After a couple of minutes I couldn't take it anymore and slapped his hard chest.

"Ow! God... frigging…..Argh!"

I couldn't even form a coherent curse as the pain shot though my arm. I had definitely broken something.

Edward had me in his arms in the next second and was running flat out to his car.

"Edward, calm down. It'll be fine." I tried to reassure him when I saw his distressed face.

"Bella, you broke your hand! How can you say that?"

"Edward, please don't overreact. It's not something you did. It's hardly your fault that you are so hard and that I was stupid enough to hit you."

He shook his head, but didn't respond. He simply placed me back to my feet when we were at his car, helped me in and sped off to the hospital.

**Epov**

I felt horrible for not preventing Bella from getting hurt, but in the back of my mind the voice of reason kept reminding me that it wasn't something I could have prevented. I couldn't hear her thoughts, so there was no way I could have anticipated her move.

But I still felt guilty. Here I was telling her I loved her and then a couple of minutes later she breaks her hand!

When I pulled up to the hospital I softly called for Carlisle, to low for humans to hear but loud enough to reach him. He sent me silent confirmation that he had heard me and that he was on his way to the ER. He looked rather alarmed when I came in with Bella.

_Son, what did you do?_

"Bella hit me and broke her hand," I said solemnly.

Carlisle's bemused expression made Bella laugh. "He was laughing at something I said and then I hit him to take revenge, but I forgot how hard he really is," she said quiet enough to prevent others from hearing.

Carlisle chuckled and gently placed his hand on Bella's shoulder.

"Come along, Bella. Let's get that hand x-rayed and in a cast. Edward, you can wait here for us. It's not like you'll miss any of it anyway."

Bella laughed and let my father guide her away from me. I was reeling from all the emotions that had been consuming me today. I was a mess.

I sank into one of the chairs and hung my head into my hands. I replayed the entire day in my head. We had talked about so much and somehow we had managed to make a sad day one of the happiest we both had ever experienced.

"Good afternoon, I'm here to talk to the driver of the van that crashed in the school parking lot," I heard Charlie's gruff voice say a few feet away.

"Of course, chief Swan. He's right through those doors."

I stood to warn Charlie about Bella's newest injury. "Chief Swan?"

He turned on his heel. "Yes, son? Can I do something for you?"

"I'm Edward Cullen. I drove Bella home from school earlier. I wanted to warn you that Bella fell and landed a bit roughly on her hand. It's most likely broken."

He pursed his lips. "That sounds like her. So you were still around when it happened?"

"Yeah. She was a bit distraught and I kept her company. When I left she walked with me to my car and fell."

His thoughts were muffled but I detected a strong worry and a hint of relief. I frowned, not understanding that what the relief was about. I wanted to talk to him some more to maybe find the reason behind his thoughts, but my father and Bella came through the doors then.

"Hey, Bells. Edward told me you fell in the driveway?" he posed it as a question.

"Yeah. I broke my hand when I landed. Guess Edward's reflexes aren't quite fast enough," she said with a grin.

_I heard what you said and warned her, _Carlisle explained silently.

I nodded my thanks and returned my attention to Bella. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a small clean break. Thank god it's my left hand, otherwise I wouldn't be able to take notes and such."

"Edward," Charlie said hesitantly. "Can you maybe drive Bella home? I have to handle the accident at the school parking lot so I'll be here for at least another hour."

"No problem, sir. That is if Bella doesn't mind."

"I don't mind!" she almost shouted.

Charlie chuckled, his mind swirling with contentment and happiness for Bella. "Okay. You kids be careful and Edward if you want to stay for dinner, you're more than welcome to."

"Thank you, sir."

"It's Charlie, kid."

I nodded, slightly astounded at his easy acceptance of me. Bella's eyes were comically wide as she took in her father. I smiled at her and asked if she was ready to leave. After saying goodbye to both our fathers, I guided Bella back to the car.

When I was settled in the car, Bella turned to me. "What was my dad thinking? I never expected him to actually accept you. He asked me yesterday and again today on the phone if we were more than just friends, but the way he asked sounded like he would kill you if we were. But now it's almost like he was hoping this would happen."

"I don't really know. Your father's thoughts are muted. Not completely shut off from my ability like yours, but I only get the gist of it. I could only make up that he was concerned for you and then relieved for a reason unknown to me and then at the end he settled for accepting me and being happy for you."

"Huh. Never expected that," she muttered.

**Bpov**

The drive back to the house was rather quiet. Edward had taken my broken hand in his and was playing absentmindedly with my fingers that poked out of the cast, while keeping his gaze fixed on the road.

"Looks like your sister is home already," Edward murmured under his breath.

"Oh great," I groaned. "She'll just love you bringing me home."

"That's her problem, love. You're my girlfriend, she'll have to get over it."

"I could get used to you calling me your girlfriend." I smiled sheepishly at him.

"Well, love, if you want I'll only call you girlfriend from now on," he countered with a wink.

"That might be overdoing it a little. I like the way my name sounds when you say it as well, or when you call me love."

"I was only joking, Bella."

"I know, I know."

He kissed the fingertips on my broken hand. It was only then that I realized he had pulled up in front of our house. He quickly got out and strolled around the car to open the door for me. He even went as far as to help me out of the car. We turned to the house, but Edward suddenly froze, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

"Edward, what is it?"

"Vanessa has visitors."

"Who?"

"Quill and Sam from the reservation."

"And why does that bring out the vamp in you?" I whispered, looking anxiously back and forth between Edward and my house.

"They're from the Quileute tribe down at La Push. Their tribe are descendants from wolves. Roughly translated they're werewolves."

"Are you kidding me? What are they doing here?"

"Apparently Quill has a crush on your sister and she's been leading him on. Sam believes she is not the one that is meant for Quill and he's trying to get Vanessa to stop stringing him and his friend Emby, along.."

"Do we go in to see if we can help?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Bella. They won't trust me."

I bit my lip contemplating whether I should go in alone, but before I could manage a decision the door flew open and Nessie came stomping out.

"I told you to leave, Sam! Leave me alone!"

Sam came storming after her, his entire frame shaking wildly. "Leave Quill, alone. He's meant for someone else!"

"How would you know?!"

"I just do! Quill get your ass in my car, right now!"

Sam inhaled deeply and all of a sudden his head whipped around towards me and Edward. A menacing hiss escaped Edward's lips.

"Bella take Vanessa inside and neither of you look out the windows," he murmured into my ear.

"I'll try."

"That's all I can ask, love. Go."

I kissed him quickly and hurried across the lawn. Quill came out, a bag clutched in his hand, his face thunderous. He stalked past me and Vanessa without a word and climbed into Sam's car.

"Vanessa, can I talk to you?"

"Whatever Bella! Don't think I didn't see that kiss!" she screeched as she spun around running into the house.

I rolled my eyes and followed her inside. I heard a few low snarls and hisses, but with the last bit of determination I managed to close the door behind me without peeking over my shoulder. Loud music came blasting from Vanessa's room. With a heavy sigh I hoisted myself up the stairs and threw the door to her room open.

"What do you want?" she asked exasperated.

"Vanessa, what the hell is happening to you? You're stringing along Quill one minute and then the next you're livid when Edward kisses me. Make up your mind, who do you want?"

"It's not about who I want," she scoffed. "It's about who wants me and those who don't shouldn't want my sister."

My mouth literally dropped open in shock. "So basically you hate me so much you won't let anyone befriend me or date me?"

"NO! That's not it at all! You don't understand! You understand nothing. You're far too perfect to even comprehend what's going on with me. Leave me alone!"

"When you're ready to be my sister and talk to me, come find me. Just so you know, Edward's my boyfriend and if you ever pull a stunt like you did with Casey again, I will never speak to you again."

The color drained from her face, but at that moment I couldn't care less. I went downstairs and pressed my ear to the front door. There was silence outside, so I decided it was okay for me to go into the kitchen and start on dinner.

I shot a quick glance out the window, but both cars were gone and there were no signs of a fight. I sucked in a relieved breath before I turned my attention to the fridge.

**Epov**

I watched Bella go inside after Vanessa, ignoring the snarls and hisses coming from Sam. When the door closed behind the girls I turned to him.

"Sam, you'd better control that temper of yours. If this turns into a fight you will out us all."

"And you sniffing around a human girl won't?"

"Your boys are doing the same thing, are they not?"

"It's not the same. Their hearts beat!"

"Yes, but in the first moment they lose the grip they have on their tempers they endanger them just as badly as we could."

Sam snorted indignantly. "You and your family are always on the brink of losing control, Cullen. Do not pretend to be infallible."

"I don't. I am acutely aware of the necessity to stay vigilant, but the way your boys are fighting over Vanessa is a greater danger at the moment."

"I know. I'm trying to control Quill and Embry and to top it off Jacob is close to fazing for the first time. Damn it! I hate to be shoved in this position."

I noticed in his thoughts that on top of it all there was Leah Clearwater, his ex-fiancée who he had abandoned for the object of his imprint, Emily. Leah was bitter about what happened, but the worst part about it was that she was forced to watch Sam and Emily on nearly a daily basis.

"I'm sorry about all the stress you have to deal with at La Push, but do not take it out on me, my family or the Swan-girls. Vanessa has an eerie ability to draw people in. I suspect it is involuntary, like it is involuntary that Bella shuts people out. Maybe that knowledge will help you battle the animosity between your wolves."

Sam grunted a reluctant thanks, making a beeline for his car and speeding off towards the reservation. With a heavy sigh I slid into my own car. I shot one last fleeting look at Bella's house before pulling onto the road myself.

My car hadn't even stopped completely before Alice had thrown my door open. She dragged me out of my seat in order to hug me fiercely.

"Alice? What the..?"

"I'm sooooo happy for you! You and Bella are going to be so happy from now on!" she gushed enthusiastically.

"Alice, simmer down! We just started this relationship, hell I don't even know if I can call it that yet."

"But you love each other!" she exclaimed outraged at my reluctance to talk about my budding relationship with Bella.

"Give us some space, little pixie. Bella isn't going anywhere."

She grumbled under her breath and stalked off to her room. I chuckled at her disgruntled expression as I made me way into the house.

_Eewww! You reek of wet dogs!_ Rosalie mentally chided.

"I'm aware of that. I ran into two of the pack members. Don't worry, I'll take a shower."

Rosalie dramatically plugged her nose as I walked passed her, so just to annoy her further I leaned in to hug her and effectively rub the scent onto her. She screeched, shoving me off forcefully.

"Edward, you are such a pig! Ugh! I can't believe you've convinced that girl to take you on as a boyfriend.!"

I jogged up the stairs, snickering at Rosalie's continuing rant. Emmett passed me on the way, his hand raised for a high five.

Way to go brother! He cheered silently.

"Don't think I didn't hear that high five, Emmett! You are not getting anywhere near me for the rest of the week," Rosalie yelled, coming up behind us.

"Aw, babe! Don't be like that, it was just a joke."

She snarled while she shoved Emmett out of her way. He landed against the wall with a grunt.

"Dang, man. That sucks big time. You owe me."

I snorted. "Excuse me? It wasn't me who gave me a high five for making Rose smell like a wolf."

"Dude, I've got major time on my hands now, we need to go do something. Let's play some baseball."

Alice came flitting up the stairs. "You'll have to wait another hour, but we can go then. It should be dry in the clearing, with enough thunder to muffle our noise. And Edward, maybe you should invite Bella to come with us. Give her a chance to get to know us."

**Bpov**

When I finished with dinner, I called upstairs to Vanessa. She came down a few minutes later, her eyes red rimmed and puffy.

"Ness? Have you been crying?"

"What do you care?"

"Vanessa, come on! You're still my sister. Although with the way you keep treating me I sometimes wonder why I still bother."

She suddenly burst into tears again. "You're so blind, Bella! Don't you see?"

"Don't I see what, Vanessa? Don't I see how everyone only ever wants to know you and you never even try to involve me anymore? Don't I see how you always get jealous over every little bit I do have? Don't I see how my sisters doesn't even want to know me?"

She cried even harder, but for once I lacked the need to comfort her. Instead I turned my back to her when the phone rang and I left the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Bella, it's me, Edward."

My stomach filled with butterflies as his velvet voice filled my head. "Hey," I breathed.

"Hey... Listen my family and I are going to play baseball in about half an hour. Would you care to join us?"

"I'd love to. I'll just finish dinner real quick."

"I'll come get you in fifteen. Love you."

"I love you too, see you soon."

**Vanessa's pov**

I heard her talk to Edward on the phone and my heart twisted painfully in my chest. The last time Bella told me she loved me was years ago. I knew that I had pushed her away over time. I knew I didn't deserve the love I so desperately wanted from my sister, especially after what happened with Casey.

Absent-mindedly I rubbed the tattoo I had on my shoulder blade. The one I got when I realized I had betrayed my sister's best friend in the worst possible way. The one that reminded me that no matter how much everyone might want my attention and companionship, no one was really deeply connected to me.

Not even my own sister.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update. I hope the chapter was worth the wait though, so please let me know what you think._

_Thank you all for reading._

_Mo_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Al rights to Twilight and it's characters belong to Mrs. Meyer.

* * *

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Chapter four

**Epov**

I pulled up in front of Bella's house ten minutes sooner than planned, mostly due to an overeager Emmett who was begging for me to introduce him to Bella.

"Dude, where is she? Shouldn't she be bouncing out here all excited and stuff?" Emmett asked while he stared at the house.

"No, that's not how Bella works, Emmett. Besides, she isn't expecting me for another ten minutes or so."

Emmett grumbled something under his breath, but my attention was pulled away from him when Vanessa came out of the house. Her mind was muted for some reason. She looked forlorn, sad and a little angry at the same time. I followed her with my eyes until she disappeared into the tress to the side of the house. As soon as she was out of sight of the house, her thoughts were blearing in their usual volume.

_I hate this life! I don't want this anymore! I can't live with the constant attention, the constant scrutiny!_

I wanted to go to her, find out what was wrong, but I knew it was none of my business. I would, however, talk to Bella about what I overheard. Clearly something was bothering Vanessa and she was reeling because of it. Despite not liking her and her usually self-centred thoughts, there was something about her quiet desperation that urged me to be careful. Thoughts like that could lead down dangerous paths and I didn't want her to hurt herself. No matter how troublesome their relationship was at the moment, I knew it would devastate Bella if something was to happen to her sister.

Bella came out a few minutes later, glancing out to where Vanessa had disappeared to earlier. She looked worried, which in turn set me on edge.

"Dude, settle down. You're wound so tight you're at risk of snapping off the steering wheel," Emmett complied, shooting a pointed glance at my hands.

I loosened my grip a little while I watched Bella walk over. I hopped out of the car and opened the door for her, once she got close enough. Right before she slipped in, she gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

Once I was seated, I introduced Bella to Emmett. She smiled at him and held out her hand for him to shake. He stared at it, his mind panicking over how much force he should use.

"Hold her hand like you would hold one of Esme's china cups," I whispered low enough so only Emmett and I could hear.

He nodded imperceptibly and took her hand in his. Bella smiled up at him, stunning Emmett for a second.

Wow, bro. I get why you like her so much. It's not just that she's beautiful, she is just so damn cute!

I chuckled under my breath at Emmett's thoughts.

"So, Bella you ready to play some vamp ball?" he asked her.

Bella giggled. "As long as you don't let me play, no one will get hurt."

"What?"

"I am a bit accident prone," she said, holding up her broken wrist, "if you were to give me a bat and a ball and on top of that, make me run, it would certainly lead to injuries."

"We can play at human speed and power," Emmett offered, despite the fact that he hated doing that.

"No need, I will referee or something."

"You can help Esme," I said. "She always insists we cheat, so she could use an extra set of eyes."

"Sure, that sounds like fun."

While we drove, Emmett asked Bella all kinds of things about her life, her family and about her move to Forks. She told him almost everything he asked, only stopping herself when things either got too painful, like the situation with Casey and her sister, or if she was embarrassed. He'd try to coax it out of her anyway, but I was pleased to find that she could stand up to Emmett.

I parked my car on the side of a forest road and got out, walking around the car to help Bella out. She looked around with a frown.

"Where in God's name are you guys going to be playing baseball?"

I smiled "We need to run the last few miles."

"Run? Are you going to carry me?"

"Yup." I crouched down before her. "Climb on up."

Bella snorted, but did as I asked and climbed onto my back, wrapping her arms and legs securely around me. I held on the the backs of her thighs and stood. I was about to take off, when Emmett stopped me.

"Hey, Eddie."

I reflexively growled at the nickname, which made Bella chuckled and Emmett simply roll his eyes.

"Jeez, lighten up about that already. Anyway, I want to race you up there."

"What? Why?" Bella asked.

"Edward is the fastest runner of us all and normally speaking I wouldn't stand a chance, but now that he's carrying you, it might just slow him down enough to give me a chance."

I laughed. He had no idea how light Bella really was and how little she slowed me down, but if he wanted to test that theory, why not?

"Are you alright with that, Bella?"

"Uhm...you won't drop me or anything, will you?"

"No, I promise I won't drop you."

"Well, then...okay."

She sounded a but hesitant, so I was inclined to not do this, but then she kissed the side of my neck with her soft, warm lips and whispered into my ear.

"Make sure you beat him."

**Bpov**

Edward chuckled, while Emmett scowled at me. I knew he would hear, but I didn't care. I wanted my boyfriend to win this little race, so of course I would encourage him. Emmett held up his hand and counted down.

When he got to one, he took off, but Edward, having heard his thoughts, was moving almost at the same time. The scenery blurred by at such a speed that I felt my stomach turn a little, so I shut my eyes tightly and buried my face in Edward's neck while pressing my body closer to his.

When I placed a soft kiss on his skin, he came to a sudden halt. I looked up, thinking we had already arrived, but we hadn't. I was about to ask Edward what was wrong when he twisted me around till I was facing him. He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine urgently.

He slid his hands up to my ass and squeezed slightly, making me squirm against him. His tongue traced my lips and I opened my mouth to let him in. I didn't know what came over him, but I was certainly enjoying it.

I felt his erection press into me, making me even hotter and more aware of his entire body. Suddenly a wave of heat spread through me like wildfire and I began clawing at his clothes, desperate to feel his bare skin.

Edward placed me on my feet and allowed me to lift his shirt over his head. I gasped at the sight of his perfect chest. He was gorgeous, no glorious. I stared, mesmerized as another wave of arousal swept through me.

Edward's eyes snapped up all of a sudden, scanning the forest. He then got a frown on his face and put his shirt back on.

"What's wrong? Don't you want this?"

I don't know why, but as soon as I said it I felt almost depressed.

"I want this," Edward whispered while he held me close. "But not in the middle of the woods. Our first time together will be spent in the comfort of a bed. Not only that, but that sudden rush of arousal you felt as well as the depression you now feel are cause by Jasper."

He spat the name and instantly my mood returned back to normal. I felt my cheeks flush at what had just transpired.

"Do they always mess with you?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yes, because apparently I'm the most fun to rile up."

"Well, why don't we just let them have their game, while we go back to my place and enjoy each other's company. I'm not so sure if I'm up for an entire vampire family right now. Especially not after already being toyed with."

Edward looked sad. I knew he felt bad for what had just happened, but the whole thing just made me insecure as hell.

"Bella, please. My mother is really looking forward to meeting you and if it helps any, Jasper just got back there and everyone else is laying into him for what he did."

I tried very hard to push down my nerves, but it didn't help me much. I nodded anyway and Edward took my hand to guide me out of the trees and into a giant clearing.

I saw the Cullens standing around the home plate, but I couldn't find out where the other bases were. I shook my head, figuring I'd see it as soon as they were playing. When we got to the others, Carlisle was the first to step forward and give me a gentle hug. I was surprised, but also moved by the action.

"Welcome, Bella. We are really happy that you and Edward have found each other."

"Thank you so much. That means a lot to me."

He smiled, gave me another pat on the shoulder and then stepped aside to introduce me to Esme. I instantly liked her. She radiated warmth and such a strong sense of home that I hugged her on my own volition. She stiffened at first and then, with a light chuckle, hugged me back.

"You are a special girl, Bella," she murmured before releasing me.

I smiled at her, wanting to thank her when I was crushed into a hug by Alice. "I am so glad you're finally here, Bella! You and me are going to be the best of friends.

Laughing, I hugged her back and said: "I am sure we will be. You seem like someone I could hang out with."

I caught Edward's gaze and winked at him. He winked back giving me a covert thumbs up. Rosalie came next. Her greeting wasn't as enthusiastic as the others, but she made me feel welcome nonetheless. I figured we would get along as long as we were given the opportunity to acclimatize.

The last one to greet me was Jasper. I focused really hard on being annoyed and he chuckled when he got the message.

"Sorry, Bella. I promise I won't involve you next time, at least not on purpose. Sometimes I can't aim it very accurately, but I'll try."

"I guess that's all I can ask."

With that, Jasper nodded and the group turned to make up the teams they would play with. Esme took my arm and led me to the home plate.

"You can help me keep them honest," she said with a smile.

"She thinks we cheat," Emmett told me, snickering as he past us.

"I know you cheat," Esme quipped.

Jasper and Emmett were picking their teams and to my intense surprise, Jasper chose Rosalie first and Carlisle, leaving Edward and Alice for Emmett's team. I looked at Esme for clarification.

"Jasper likes to use Rosalie's competitiveness to it's fullest and rile his team up with it. Since Rosalie is the most persistent of us all when she wants something, it usually helps get them in a good playing position."

"Okay. Wow this is going to be so interesting."

Esme laughed and told me to concentrate on the game. It was incredible. The thundering sounds when the bat hit the ball made it clear to me why they needed to play when there was a thunderstorm brewing. The score went up and down for a while, but eventually Jasper's team won by a hair.

"I'll never watch humans play baseball again," I muttered when the group gathered around with the equipment.

**Epov**

I chuckled when I heard Bella's comment. She was probably right. Watching humans play baseball was rather tedious when you were used to vampire speed and strength. I pulled her into my side and kissed her temple.

"Shall I take you home, or do you want to come home with us for a while?" I asked.

"Let me call my dad and ask. He was okay with the game, but I told him I'd be home right after."

"Sure, call him and if he needs reassurance that we won't be home alone, you can give the phone to my mom."

Bella snorted and pulled out her phone, shaking her head at my words. The phone call was quick and Esme only had to come on the phone for a minute before Charlie agreed to let Bella go over to our place. She did have to be home by ten. I was a bit disappointed by that, but Bella reminded me that it was a school night and Carlisle told me she needed her rest to help heal her wrist, so I quickly pushed down my disappointment and decided to just enjoy the time I did had with her.

Emmett and Rosalie wanted to borrow the car so they could go hunting out of state for the night, so I ran home with Bella securely on my back. I felt her warmth seep through the fabric of my clothes and slowly warm my skin. It charged every cell in my body with awareness. I could feel her pressed up against me and I had to try really hard to keep my arousal tampered down, or I would do exactly what Jasper had aimed for when we arrived earlier in the evening.

When we arrived home Alice gave me a wink and then announced she and Jasper were going hunting for the night. Esme and Carlisle had some hospital function they had mysteriously forgotten about and so, after about ten minutes, Bella and I were alone in the house.

"Did they really think they were being subtle?" Bella laughed.

"I don't think they realized how perceptive you are. I must admit we don't always give humans the credit they deserve."

Bella feigned hurt. "But you guys hang around teenagers most of your time. They are usually so hung up on their own lives and the changes they go through. It's hard to be observant when every little thing that happens to you feels like it's the biggest drama in the history of the world."

I smiled, taking her hand and pulling her down to the sofa with me. She sat in my lap, her head on my shoulder.

"You are right love. If we had been older and we had for example worked, I'm sure we would have had to move more often, simply because people would notice our differences sooner."

Bella nodded, but didn't say anything. I sat back and listened to the steady thrum of her heart. When it suddenly started beating a little faster, I glanced down in alarm, only to find Bella staring at my lips. Her eyes met mine and I could see the clear desire shining there.

It was like two magnets being pulled together. There was nothing I could do to fight it. I just _had_ to kiss her and she _had_ to kiss me. Our lips met in a fevered kiss, hands roaming everywhere, trying to get the other closer, to feel more. It was like earlier in the forest only this time it was purely our desire for each other, without the outside help of Jasper.

I knew where we were headed and I wanted to make sure Bella was ready for what we were getting close to doing. So I stood, cradling Bella in my arms and took her upstairs to my bedroom. As I laid her down on my bed I was struck by how right she looked in my room. Like she was destined to share it with me. She reached up to pull me down on top of her, but I resisted her for a moment.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Bella, are you sure you are ready for this? Your first time isn't something you can take back. I want you to be absolutely sure. You have to be home in about an hour, we can wait until we have more time together."

Bella sighed and closed her eyes, trying to even out her breathing. "I think you are right, Edward. I don't want to have to rush this."

I smiled down at her. "That doesn't mean I can't make you feel good before you leave," I whisper.

Her heart stutters before picking up in tempo once more. "How would you do that?" she asked breathlessly.

I smirked as I flicked open the button fly of her jeans. She licked her lips as my hands slowly slid her jeans down her hips and over her legs only to throw it behind me carelessly. I looked at her innocent yet sexy white panties and noticed just how aroused she was.

"You're wet for me," I growled.

She nodded, her cheeks flushing, her lip caught between her teeth once more. She was trying to kill me, I was sure of it. I traced a fingertip along the edge of her panties, while I watched her eyes grow heavy with desire. I inhaled deeply, smelling a fresh wave of her arousal in the air, nearly tasting it on my tongue.

"I am going to make you scream, Bella." I promised. "First I will make you come with my fingers and afterwards I am going to lick that sweet pussy of yours until you come again."

I saw Bella swallow thickly and I suddenly realized I made her feel uncomfortable with my words.

"I'm sorry love, that was too crude for this first time together. Forgive me."

"It's..It's okay. I was just a bit surprised. It kind of turned me on, but it also makes me feel inexperienced."

I laid down beside her and kissed her softly. "Please don't feel like you're not good enough, because that couldn't be farther form the truth. I love you and I want nobody but you. I never will again for as long as I exist."

She nodded and kissed me once. "I love you too, now you'd better start making good on that promise," she murmured, flushing a beautiful pink.

"God, Bella. That sounds so sexy. I can't wait to make love to you."

She grinned, starting to speak, but her words turned into a moan as I ran one finger over her covered center. The fabric of her panties was drenched and it made me painfully hard to think I had caused that.

Bella's pov

The feel of Edward's hands on me was amazing. When he had said those things to me earlier it made me realize just how inexperienced I was and I hated feeling that insecure around him. Thank god, Edward realized his mistake and went from crude and purely sexual, to sweet and loving in an instant.

As he slipped his hand beneath the fabric of my panties, I lost all coherent thoughts. His cool touch set me ablaze, making me writhe against his gentle fingers as he slid them up and down my folds, feeling every part of my sex.

"You feel amazing, love," he whispered close to my ear.

I moaned in response, no longer capable of stringing words together. I arched off the bed as he gently pushed one and then two of his fingers inside of me while his thumb rubbed soft circles over my clit. I moaned and undulated my hips in time with the slow but delicious thrusts of his fingers.

"Please, Edward..." I mewled.

"Please what, love?"

"Please, move your fingers faster. I'm so close."

"I know love, I can feel it," he whispered as he sped up his movements.

I felt the coil in my stomach tighten, my orgasm close, but not quite there yet. I begged him again and he sped up a little more. Then without warning I crashed head on into a blinding orgasm. I moaned Edward's name loudly, but I couldn't find it in me to care that someone might have heard. Edward moved his fingers in me while I rode out my orgasm and eventually pulled them out.

I watched through heavy lidded eyes as he sucked his fingers into his mouth, groaning at the taste of me on him.

"You taste like heaven, Bella," he murmured.

I lazily smiled up at him, feeling completely satisfied for the moment. He chuckled as he took in my expression and gave me a long languid kiss.

"Hmm, I think I'd better get you home, love or you will get in trouble with your father."

I nodded, still to dazed to actually respond, which gave Edward the smuggest smile I had ever seen on him, but I couldn't find it in me to care. He was allowed to be smug if he could make me feel that good in such a short amount of time.

Edward helped me get dressed and we walked downstairs together. Esme and Carlisle walked in the door, just as Edward was helping me into my coat.

"Edward, in lieu with what we told Charlie, I think you and I should take Bella home together. I wouldn't want him to think we only covered for you two to be alone together," Carlisle said, pleading with his eyes for us to understand and not give him any trouble over that.

"Sure. I don't want my dad to forbid me to see Edward. I think this is for the best anyway."

Edward grumbled something about being older than Charlie, but I decided to ignore it. I knew he wasn't thinking entirely straight right now.

The drive back into town was quiet, but not really uncomfortable. It only became uncomfortable when we pulled up in front of our house and Charlie was outside talking to Jacob and Billy Black. Carlisle and Edward hissed quietly as they saw who was there and were determined to walk me to the door together.

As soon as both men from La Push noticed who it was that had taken me home, they grew morose. Billy shot me a disappointed look, before fixing Edward and Carlisle with a death glare. Jacob merely shook, most likely on the verge of shifting into his wolf form. I sensed the urgency to get out of there and take my dad with me, but I couldn't think of a good enough excuse.

"Dr. Cullen, Edward, thank you for bringing Bella home. How are you this evening?"

Carlisle chuckled, smoothing down his shirt. In his bedside voice he addressed my father : "Chief Swan, we are fine and yourself?"

"Fine, fine. Who won the game? Please tell me you didn't let Bella play," Charlie joked, giving me a playful wink.

"No, we didn't. She helped my wife referee. Actually my team won. Edward was a bit peeved about that earlier."

Charlie laughed, completely oblivious to the growing tension.

"Hey, dad where's Vanessa?"

"She's upstairs, but I would prefer if you stayed out of her room. She walked off into the woods and didn't show up until half an hour ago. I grounded her, so I want you to stay in your own room tonight."

I nodded. "Sure, dad. Why don't we go inside, it's getting a bit chilly."

My dad wrapped and arm around my shoulder and rubbed his hand up and down my upper arm in an attempt to warm me up.

"We should head back. Edward has school tomorrow," Carlisle added.

We said our goodbyes and Edward even dared to kiss my cheek while I was still at Charlie's side. The Blacks looked on with equal expressions of horror, but as soon as the Cullens drove off they too said their goodbyes and left.

When we got back into the house, by dad turned me towards him and held me at arms length.

"Bella, I realize you re growing up and that you'll start dating. I would like to say I'm fine with it, but I have to be honest. I am an old-fashioned man and it scares the bejeezus out of me to think of things like that. I know that Vanessa has already been there and done that as she so nicely states it, but you haven't. I just want you to know that if you need to talk or ask me something I'm here for you, however awkward it might be for the both of us."

"God, dad. Way to make this awkward already. Just to ease your mind, I do not now, nor will I ever need your advice on these matters. I would rather talk to gran or mom."

"Oh, thank god," he sighed in relief.

"And I might as well tell you now, Edward asked me to be his girlfriend."

My dad's eyebrows nearly shot into his hairline. "That's rather quick don't you think?"

"Maybe. I just know that I really like him and he really likes me. We'll see where it goes."

"I can live with that, just promise you'll be careful."

I rolled my eyes. "I promise. I'm going to bed, dad. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, kiddo."

**Edward's pov**

I stood at the edge of the backyard while Charlie and Bella had their rather uneasy little chat. I was proud of my girl for telling her dad that we were dating and I was relieved to find that his mind was at ease with the idea of us together. It would make our relationship a lot easier.

But then there was Vanessa's thoughts. They were a whirlwind of images that made no sense until she suddenly focused on the face of a man who was old enough to be her father. He was leering at her, trying to look down her top. It was just a brief flash, but I got the sense that this man had done something that had made Vanessa a different girl.

I listened to Bella stumble around in her room, getting ready for the night, while at the same time listening to the slowly quieting thoughts of Vanessa until she was finally dreaming. I inhaled deeply, not sure what to do about it. I wanted to talk to Bella about her sister and what I think might have happened to her, but I couldn't. Not until I knew for sure what was going on.

I heard the thoughts of Jacob Black before I smelled him. He was in his human form, but he was barely hanging onto his control.

"What are you doing here, leech?" he hissed through clenched teeth, his nostrils flaring.

"I am simply watching over Bella, like you are watching over Vanessa."

He snorted, his thoughts indignant, unable to see the draw Bella held beside her blood, or the draw I held for Bella.

"Jacob, don't go there. I am in love with her and by the grace of God she feels the same about me. I would never hurt her. I don't want her for her blood. If I did we wouldn't be talking right now, we'd be fighting. Besides, officially you are trespassing on our territory, so don't push me."

"Fine," he spat. "Just stay the hell away from Nessie."

"I will. You take care of her, you hear?"

He snorted again. "I'm leaving, you reek."

"Well, you don't exactly smell like a bunch of flowers either."

He didn't say another word, simply turned and ran back towards La Push, thinking about coming back before dawn to check on Vanessa. I made a mental note to either be in Bella's room then or to be back home.

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_A/N: This chapter was a bit shorter than the previous ones, but I really wanted to update and this felt like a good point to break it off. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as the former three. Please let me know what you think, it makes me happy to read reviews and helps me keep the story on track._

_Love,_

_Mo_

_PS I have written an all human one-shot (rated T), I would love to hear some thoughts on it. Check it out and drop me a review if you're interested._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

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Chapter five

**Bpov**

The days after my first meeting with the Cullens I was floating on cloud nine. Edward came to drive me to school every day and I had switched to their table at lunch. Jasper kept his careful distance, but knowing it was because he had the most trouble with their 'diet', made it less awkward for me. Rosalie had been a bit short with me at first, but she had thawed out considerably after a day or two.

Vanessa had started retreating into herself a little and I had to admit I was concerned. It seemed like the more outgoing I got, the more closed off she got. It scared me, because more than once I caught myself wondering if we would always work like that. One of us invisible, while the other was popular and social.

Edward reassured me by telling me that no matter how people perceived us, our minds hadn't changed. I was still silent to him, while Vanessa's were still inconceivably loud. It comforted me, but only a little. I still worried about Vanessa's unnatural behaviour.

On Saturday morning, little over a week since I had met Edward's family, I finally worked up the courage to go to Vanessa's room.

"Ness? Can I come in?"

"Of course," she called back through the door.

I peered in and found her lying on her bed, still in her pyjama's. "Hey, how've you been?" I asked quietly as I lay down beside her.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I miss mom and the kids here are driving me crazy, especially those boys from La Push. Sam doesn't even want me on the reservation anymore, because apparently the boys are fighting over me."

I smiled wryly. "Isn't that supposed to be flattering?"

"Oh, Bells…It would be, but I am getting tired of all the attention. Everything I do is scrutinized by nosy kids. Even dad is watching me like a hawk, while you get to go off on your own and not be bothered."

"Dad worried, Vanessa. He doesn't know how to deal with all things teenage girl. He's just lucky I'm so much like him, otherwise he would have been completely lost by now."

Vanessa laughed. "I owe you an apology, Bella. I was being a bitch about Edward and I'm truly sorry. I don't want anyone to come between us again. I know I screwed up with Casey, Bella. I have a reminder of it and I see it every day. I don't want to be that girl anymore. I want what you and Edward have, but when I dig deeper with any guy I've ever been with, there's nothing of significance there."

"Aw, Ness. You'll find it. I know you will. And thank you for apologizing. It means a lot to me. Have you talked to mom recently?"

"No. I've tried calling her, but she keeps cutting our calls short. It's like we're out of sight out of mind."

I rolled on my back and stared at the ceiling. "Maybe it is for her. You know how she always talked to you and pretty much ignored me when we were both in the room. I have a theory about that."

Vanessa sat up. "What are you talking about? Did mom really do that?"

"You never noticed?"

"No."

"Huh…Anyway, I think it's because I was taking care of myself and I didn't really come to her for anything, she might have forgotten I needed attention too. You know how mom had the attention span of a goldfish. You always had new stories, new parties, new friends, so she stayed interested, involved. I had one good friend, no real parties to speak of and that's why she so easily ignored me. Now that we've moved out here, there are the same people all the time, so to mom it's like she's heard it all before."

"Bella, that's such a horrible thing to say."

"Think about it. It really makes sense."

**Epov**

I overheard Bella's conversation with Vanessa from my perch on her bed. I had sneaked in through the window, expecting her to still be in bed, like last Saturday,. She instead was in her sister's room and she was spewing a strange, yet plausible, explanation for their mom's lack of calls. Vanessa was mulling it all over and although she had to admit it was a likely scenario, she hated the idea of her mom not calling because she simply wasn't interesting anymore.

"_Bella, doesn't that make you sad? Make you feel unwanted even?"_

"_I don't see it as mom not wanting us. She loves us. I'm sure about that. I'm just saying that right now she's distracted. She is travelling with Phil, seeing and learning new things every day. She's just not used to that in addition to paying attention to us. I think she'll come around in while. Just wait for her to ride out the first rush of life on the road."_

"_When did you grow up, Bella? I feel like I hardly even know you anymore."_

I saw Bella's face harden through Vanessa's thoughts. _"Well, maybe if you would have tried to be my sister over the past three years, you might have known me now."_

I sighed as I heard Bella coming back to her room, accompanied by the sad thoughts of Vanessa. Bella jumped when she saw me, but then threw herself at me, knocking me back onto the bed. Her warm body fit easily against mine. I didn't even get a word in before her lips hungrily devoured mine.

I pulled back a minute later, chuckling. "Now that's a welcome I would love to get all day every day," I grinned.

She smiled a little sheepishly. "I was just pleasantly surprised you were here."

"I love knowing you want me as much as you do, Bella. Please don't be embarrassed for it."

She nodded and gave me a small, very chaste kiss, which might have turned me on even more than her full body attack. I groaned, delving my fingers into her long hair and pulling her back so I could kiss her again.

Bella shivered slightly when I traced her lips with my tongue, but then opened her mouth and welcomed me in eagerly. She wiggled on top of me and I had to fight to not flip us over and grind my erection into her. I was actually here for something other than that.

"Bella," I murmured against her lips.

"Hmmhm?"

"Could you move off me for a minute? I need to talk to you?"

"About what?"

"About your sister."

She groaned. "What about my sister?"

"I think she may be in a bit of trouble."

Bella sat up and peered down at me. "What kind of trouble?"

"I'm not sure how much trouble it will really be, but one of the boys from La Push has imprinted on her."

"What?"

"Imprinted. It's actually Jacob, Billy Black's son."

"What does this imprinting mean?"

"It's a lot like love at first sight, only stronger and it creates an unbreakable bond. He will love her until his last breath."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Seriously? My sister is an attention magnet and now she gets some guys undying love for her to boot, only because he's some sort of werewolf?"

"Yes. I know it must be driving you up the wall, Bella, especially now that you've started resenting all the attention she's getting, but she'll need your hep at some point."

"My help with what exactly?"

"Helping her understand the mystic side of the world. You're been so easily accepting of us, but I can hardly imagine Vanessa feeling the same way. You two are so different that I'm afraid she might not be as accepting and as secretive about this."

**Bpov**

I mulled over Edward's words for a moment, not really wanting to, but knowing he needed me to process this and indeed help my sister when she needed it.

"Fine," I eventually huffed. "I'll help her understand how important it is for her to keep this quiet. But we have had some serious damage in our relationship and I can't just ignore that, Edward."

"I know, love. I know. If it helps, Vanessa's hurting over that too. In fact she's been thinking more and more about it over the past few days."

"It was about time," I muttered.

I didn't want to feel all this resentment towards Vanessa, but she hadn't made it easy over the years. Edward sensed my reluctance to talk about this further and opened up his arms so I could snuggle into him.

I didn't get to enjoy his embrace long, because a few minutes later her jumped away from me.

"Charlie," he hissed and then he was gone.

Not half a minute later my door quietly opened. "Hey, Bells. I thought I heard voices up here, but I guess I was wrong. You okay? You look a bit wound up."

"I'm fine dad. I'm just trying to figure out something to do for the day. Would you mind if I spent it with Edward?"

"No, just call me if you won't be home in time for dinner."

"Of course, dad."

I kissed his cheek and he left after hugging me briefly. Grinning like a fool, I hurried down the stairs. As I had expected, Edward just came driving up.

As he got out of the car he shot me a wicked smile. "Hey, beautiful. I was just coming to see if you wanted to go out with me today," he said a little louder than I was used to.

I raised my eyebrows in question, but he simply hugged me.

"Charlie," he whispered into my ear just before he let me go.

I smiled, loving the fact that he was so good at catching these things. I glanced over my shoulder, finding my dad in the doorway, looking at us.

"Bye, dad," I called over my shoulder.

He smiled and with a thoughtful expression turned back into the house.

"What was all that about?" I asked Edward as he opened the door for me.

"Not quite sure. He's sad about something. I can't pinpoint it. It's almost as frustrating as not knowing what goes on in your head."

I laughed at that. I went to slap his chest, but reminded myself of the last time I did that and quickly stopped myself. Carlisle had removed the cast yesterday and my hand was now in a brace, but it still hurt enough to remind me not to slap Edward's marble-like body.

Edward drove us to the road from where we could reach the meadow.

"It'll be sunny in about an hour and I would really like to spend my time here with you. Would you mind?"

"Of course not."

Edward grinned and got out of the car to open my door for me. He slung me over his back as soon as I had the door closed and then he was running. I had made the mistake to keep my eyes open so when he stopped at the edge of the meadow, I had to scramble off his back in order to empty the contents of my stomach in the bushes a few feet away.

Edward held my hair back. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I should have told you to keep your eyes closed."

"Not your fault," I croaked.

When I was sure I would no longer lose any more of my stomach contents I straightened up. I turned towards Edward to ask him if he had something on his so I could rinse my mouth or something, but to my surprise found Alice bounding up behind him. She tossed me a bottle of water and a packet of mints.

"You're welcome," she sand and just as quickly she ran off again. I didn't even have time to blink.

"Your sister seriously should consider the fact that I'm human."

Edward chuckled. "God, I love you."

I smiled and followed him through the trees into the meadow.

**Epov**

After Bella had made sure she had rid herself of the taste of her upset stomach, we laid down together in the grass, talking softly about school and our families. After a short while we grew quiet and there was a shift in the air. I could hear her heartbeat picking up and I could smell the faint scent of her arousal stirring.

I looked down into her eyes and read desire there. The same desire I felt. I rolled us over so that I was hovering over her and slowly lowered my mouth to hers. Bella sighed against my lips, making me tremble above her. She tasted so sweet, so tempting.

With a groan I gave into that temptation and slipped my tongue into her mouth, massaging hers softly. My free hand drifted up her side to the bottom of her breast. I felt the desire to make her mine completely take over and I knew I had to pull away or I'd be lost and I'd take her here, in our meadow. She deserves better though.

As I pulled back I could see the rejection in Bella's eyes. She quickly turned her head, but I could smell the salt of her tears.

"Love? Please, look at me."

Reluctantly she looked me in the eye. "I love you, Bella. So much. And because I love you I want to give you the best first time that I can. I want you so badly right now, that if we don't stop I will take you and I don't want to do that here."

"That's why you stopped?"

"Yes. Why, what did you think?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. My moods are a bit erratic today. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, I won't. Why don't we go up to the house and hang out with my siblings?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

I kissed her again and stood, offering her my hand to help her up. She gave me a smile that would have stopped my heart were it still beating. God, I loved this girl. We walked hand in hand back to the car, stopping occasionally to steal a kiss here or there.

When we got there I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I dug it out and answered right away.

"Edward, we have a problem," Alice announced seriously.

"What is it?"

"We'll need to talk about it when you get home. You need to bring Bella."

"Okay, we were heading over anyway."

I turned to Bella, who looked rather worried. "I don't know what exactly is going on, but Alice said we needed to come to the house. Apparently there is some sort of problem."

"Okay. Let's go then. The sooner we get there, the sooner we know what's up."

I broke the speed limit getting home, but either Bella didn't care, or she was too focused on what might be happening at my house to notice. We weren't even on the front steps when the door flew open and Alice ushered us inside. I smelled the wolves instantly.

I put my arms around Bella's shoulder and pulled her tightly to me. She looked up at me in alarm, but I just smiled reassuringly and guided her into the house.

At the dining table my family was gathered, facing a group of four wolves and Vanessa. I could hear Bella gulp when she took in the scene and I squeezed her to let her know she'd be fine.

"Now that we're all here," Sam stated. "I would like to get this started."

Alice frowned. I knew it was because she couldn't see any of our futures now that the wolves were here. She was silently cursing at them. I had to fight not to smile at her temper.

"Sam, please tell us why you are here," my father calmly started.

"As you know there are certain stipulations to the treaty that you have negotiated with Ephraim Black."

"Yes and as far as I know we have not broken any over those stipulations."

"You haven't. Not yet," he said as he threw me a dark look.

"Why are you here then, Sam?"

"Jacob, who is a direct descendant of Ephraim has imprinted on Vanessa. This creates an unbreakable bond. Because of this bond we must forbid the contact between Edward and Bella."

**Bpov**

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Shut up, girl. We are having a meeting here," Sam snarled.

I bristled. "Don't you dare take that tone with me."

"I will do as I please, now shut your mouth."

Carlisle stood up and put his hand on my arm. "Sam, you will not speak to any member of my family in such a manner. Bella is with Edward, she's one of our family, she deserves the same respect. Bella, please sit down. We'll discuss this as calmly as we can."

I nodded, feeling like I had just been chastised by my father, which, in a way, was true.

"Now, Sam. As far as I know in our treaty nothing like this has ever been mentioned."

"True, but there has not been a situation like this in the past. We know that vampires mate for eternity and therefore Edward would seek to change Bella. We cannot allow that to happen. She would be too great a danger after she's changed. She would be a liability to Vanessa and therefore to our tribe."

I blanched. They were seriously going to stop me from seeing Edward because Vanessa was Jacob's whatever the hell it was?

"Changing Bella has not even been discussed within our family yet. There has not been any decision made on that front. Why come to us now."

"Carlisle, the treaty states that if you so much as bite a human, whether or not with intent to kill, we will go to war with you. Changing he would require a bite, would it not?"

"Essentially, yes."

"That's why we brought this up now. Bella is not yet invested in this relationship, it's too soon for that. She will get over it eventually. Edward might not love another woman, but surely he can see the issue at hand and make the wise decision."

My jaw literally dropped. I looked up at Edward, whose eyes were pitch black. His teeth were clenched so tight, I was afraid his jaw might snap. Then I looked at Vanessa. She had her eyes on the table and I could just feel her unease. Maybe if I talked to her we could work this out.

"Ness? Are you going to let them do this to me?"

Her eyes snapped up and I gasped at the hostility. "As long as you are with that leech, you are no longer considered my sister. You knew about his despicable nature and yet you started a relationship with him. What kind of a freak are you Isabella? Yes, I will let them do this. It is out of protection for me and as long as you are a part of this family, you are not part of mine. I will protect my family from any threats and right now your relationship is one of those threats."

"But I love him! You know I do! How can you ask me to give up on him? I can't do that!"

She didn't look at me, she just turned her head, her eyes hard and cold. I felt hot tears running down my cheek as I looked up at the rest of the wolves. They had looks of such disgust that my stomach churned. They wouldn't stop until they had broken up me and Edward.

When I turned back at the Cullens I could see them all weighing the options and I didn't like the way they looked at me. They were starting to decide I wasn't worth it.

Sam stood and cleared his throat. "I think we are done here. We trust you to take care fo this, Carlisle," he said waving a hand in my direction.

If I could have, I would have snapped his neck.

The group filed out, not sparing me another glance. I stared after them, unsure what I was about to face. I reluctantly turned back to the family that had recently welcomed me with open arms. I could sense that they were relaying their choices to Edward in silence and it struck the wrong nerve.

"If you can't say it out loud, then don't bother. I get the message. It was nice to know this family. I hope you are happy with yourselves. I thought vampires were supposed to be superior creatures, but you tuck tail and run when a bunch of young wolves tell you to. Well, ain't my life just fantastic?"

I whirled around and stomped out of the house, with every intention to walk home. I wondered if anyone would follow, but all I heard were fierce hisses and growls coming from the house. I knew it was Edward who was being held back by his brothers.

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_A/N: Another short chapter. The end of the chapter seemed more natural than what I had planned originally. I should be able to update next chapter somewhere at the beginning of next week. I would love to hear what you all think._

_Hugs,_

_Mo_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belongs to Mrs. Meyer.

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Chapter six

**Bpov**

I stumbled around the woods for hours before I finally dropped to my knees and cried. My sister was the worst kind of human being there was. Everything was always about her. I hated her more than I ever thought I had in that moment. I was alone. The love of my life was being kept away from me and with my sister at my father's house, I could not return there. So I was left without anyone to help me.

I lay on the forest floor, trying desperately to think of something to do, somewhere to go. I thought of going back to mom, but I didn't want to deal with her sad face whenever Phil was on the road. Besides, at the moment she seemed to have forgotten she's got two daughters in Washington. She was lost in her own little world and I doubted she would be ready to welcome me back. But who could I go to then?

"Grandma!" I nearly shouted. I sat up and pulled out my cell phone so I could call her.

She answered on the fourth ring. "Mrs. Swan speaking."

"Hey, Grandma. It's me, Bella."

"Bella? To what do I owe this unexpected call?"

"I have a problem and I need your help."

"Okay. What kind of problem?"

"One I can't discuss over the phone. Can I come see you tomorrow?"

"Sure, sweetie. What time do you think you'll get here?"

"Not sure, I'll call you when I'm on the road."

I wandered back towards my father's house and waited on the fringe of the trees, until I was sure I was alone. I hurried into the house and threw some clothes, some books and my toiletries in a bag. I raided my secret money stash and took a few of my favourite pictures with me.

As I drove off towards the highway, I noticed a blur running through the trees. Edward. I wiped a stray tear away and forced the truck to drive faster. At least he couldn't hear my thoughts on where I was going. My cell phone rang on the passenger seat, but I ignored it, trying my best to keep from breaking down.

For a moment I thought about Alice. She would have seen my decision to go to my grandmother, but would she have told Edward, thus risking a breach of the treaty and the newly stated rules? I wasn't so sure about that.

I wished over and over that I could have gone back to the very first day I met Edward. If I could, I would tell him what would happen and then I would beg him to take me away from Forks, take me somewhere far from humanity and change me. Of course it would mean that I would never see my dad again, after only being back in Forks for a couple of days and I would have missed him like crazy, but it would have been best that way.

As I drove, I tried very hard to shove the violent pain in my chest aside. I didn't want to fall apart. I wanted, no I needed to keep going, to get to grandma. She would know what to do now. She would know how to handle my first real heartbreak.

**Epov**

I wanted to rip each and every wolf in our home apart. They couldn't take her away from me. I needed her like I needed blood to survive. I would not be capable of existing without her and they grossly underestimated that need when they said I would get over it in the end. I knew I wouldn't.

But I had expected my family to understand, to side with me and Bella. I had counted on them to defend us from those vile wolfs and their horrible intentions. They were here to break Bella and me up and they would pull out all the stops to do it. I knew it had been initiated by Jacob. He was annoyed by my presence with the Swans. He knew Vanessa had, at one point, vied for my affection and he was jealous beyond all rational thought.

What surprised me to no end, though, were the thoughts of the people I called family. They heard the threats and instead of assessing how big the odds at an escalation were, they took the easy way out. They all, some more hesitant than others, decided in silence that it was best for our family and the Swans if I were to stay away from Bella.

Something inside me died at that moment. The ties that held me to my family were starting to get very thin as the seconds ticked by. I was frozen on the spot as their words flooded my brain. I hardly even registered Bella getting up and looking around, recognizing the significance of the silence around her.

It was only when her words registered in my mind, that I snapped back to reality and reached out to stop her from walking away from me. I was too slow, though. Jasper and Emmett held onto me.

"Let go of me, right now!" I snarled.

"We can't do that, Edward. This is the best way. We cannot afford a damn war!" Jasper argued.

"God dammit! You are all such selfish bastards! I cannot believe you! Any of you! If it were any of your mates we were discussing, you would be fighting tooth and nail to keep them with this family and only because Bella's human and young, you think you can take the easy way out! Cowards!"

I struggled to get free, but they held steady.

"Edward, calm down. We need you here with us and we can and will not risk our safety like this," Carlisle offered.

"Fuck you, Carlisle! The treaty was already violated when you changed Esme and Emmett! They weren't here the first time we were in Forks, when the treaty was made! You violated it twice! Why not move away with Bella and change her? Huh? Why?"

"Son."

I growled menacingly. "Don't. Call. Me. Son! You lost that right back there when you refused to stand up for my bond with Bella."

"Alright. Edward, this is different. We changed Esme and Emmett while they were on the brink of death. They wouldn't have lived otherwise."

"Yeah, and you change every single dying patient, don't you, Carlisle?" I spat angrily. "You are such a hypocrite."

The argument went on fr several hours, with me trying desperately to change their minds, and them trying to convince me it was for the best. When I finally was fed up, I snapped my teeth at Jasper and Emmett, forcing them to let go of me.

"Fine! Don't change your mind! See if I care what happens to this family then! I'm leaving and I'm not coming back. If Bella shows up in school after the weekend, please tell her I'll see her again one day, but for now she needs to try and get on with her life. When I do come back, I am taking her away with me and I will not come back to see you ever again."

I was out the door before Esme could protest or Alice could beg. The men and Rosalie already knew there was no changing my mind. They knew they had severed the ties that bound me to them and forced my hand into leaving them.

As I ran to the Swan residence, to check on Bella one last time before leaving, I noticed her old red truck was missing. I sniffed the air and found that the smell of the exhaust fumes was still relatively fresh in the air. I ran after the trail and ended up near the highway. I saw her from the edge of the trees and I noticed when she looked up at me briefly, her eyes haunted, before she turned her gaze back to the road and she sped up.

I decided to follow her at a small distance, just to make sure she would be safe. Maybe I could catch her somewhere along the way and I could take her away with me. I knew where to get new ID's and how to access my private funds. I could provide for us while we waited out her new born stage and then we could roam the earth together.

I allowed myself to marvel at the idea of spending an eternity with Bella, while I ran after her car.

**Bpov**

The first time I stopped for gas, I had a feeling I was being watched, but every time I looked around, I could find no one there, looking at me. So when I entered the shop to pay, I had convinced myself I was imagining things. To my surprise, though I spotted a familiar mop of bronze hair through the window when I looked out to my truck.

I threw the cashier the money, not bothering to wait for my change, and darted out of the shop.

"Edward," I whispered when I reached my truck. "Please, show yourself. I know you're out there. Please."

I was met with silence and stillness. Even the wind didn't breathe a whisper at that moment. With a disappointed sigh, I opened my door and slid back into my seat. I reached my hand up to put the key in the ignition when from the corner of my eye, I saw a piece of paper on the passenger seat.

I snatched it up and folded it open as quick as I could with my trembling hands.

_Keep heading for your destination, I am following and will get you when the moment is right. Just trust me to be there when you need me._

I blinked, but the words were still there, in Edward's elegant script. I surreptitiously sniffed the paper, only to be rewarded with a hint of his wonderful smell. I smiled as I tucked the piece of paper in my pocket and gunned the engine. It was a good thing I hadn't told Gran that I was on my way.

When I was well on my way, I flipped open my phone and called my grandmother.

"Hi, Bella! Don't tell me you're already headed over here?" she immediately said as she answered the phone.

"No, gran. I actually was calling to let you know that I changed my mind. I was a bit emotional when I called you. I talked to Ness about it and we sorted things out. I'm sorry for worrying you unnecessarily."

"It's okay, dear. I'm just happy you managed to work it out with your sister."

"Me too, listen I'm almost at the store, so I've got to go. Love you gran."

"Love you too, sweetie."

I hung up, feeling slightly guilty for lying to her, but knowing it was for the best. I then called my dad, to tell him I would be out hiking and was planning to stay in the woods overnight.

"Is Edward with you?"

"Actually, no. I'm on my own. Do you mind?"

"Is your phone charged?"

"Yes?"

"Do you have everything you need in case of an emergency?"

"Yes, dad. I even packed the can of mace you gave me."

"Good. Then I guess it's okay. Call me if you need anything, or if you need me to come get you, okay? I want you to be safe."

"Oh, dad. I know the woods like the back of my hand, by now. I'll be fine."

"Well, have fun then. I want you home tomorrow for dinner, though."

"Don't worry dad, I'll be there."

We said goodbye and again I felt guilty for not being truthful about things, but this way, I had at least given me and Edward an opportunity, to leave a plausible explanation for my disappearance.

Just as I was about to relax into my seat, I was startled by a loud thud in the back of the truck. I yelped and swerved, but with all my strength, managed to keep the truck in the right lane. The door on my side swung open and Edward smiled down at me.

"I'll drive, move over."

**Epov**

I overheard shards of Bella's phone conversations, but it was enough for me to know she was setting up an escape plan. So I decided I needed to stop her from driving too far. We needed to set up her truck in a believable spot and then we needed to make damn sure we got out of there before anyone knew what we were up to. So I did what I did best, I ran. I caught up to Bella's car and jumped into the back. I startled her enough to make her swerve off course for a moment, but she righted the car on her own.

Hanging onto the roof, I opened her door and told her to move over. As I slid in, I couldn't help but smile at her.

"Hello, love. If I heard correctly, you managed to get us an escape, right?"

"I tried setting up something that would be somewhat believable. Of course, I know the wolves would suspect something and your family probably would be able to track us down if they wanted it bad enough."

"Well, I think we can work around both groups, but we need to be careful about it. I know for a fact that Alice had a hard time seeing you when you close yourself off. I think if you pull from experience, you'll manage to block her ability enough for us to get away."

She nodded. "I'll try. Might be hard for you to break through it, though."

"I know, love, but I'll try until I succeed. As for the wolves. I think we need to stick to the treetops if we want to get out of there undetected."

"Okay, so I'll just drive back to Forks, park my car somewhere near a trailhead. Hike into the woods for a few miles, while you follow me up in the trees. At some point I'll climb up enough for you to gt me without your scent clinging to the spot where mine vanished and we'll head out trough the treetops. I think our safest bet is heading for Seattle. We can take a plane out of here from there, or maybe cross the border into Canada."

"Sounds good enough for me. You drive back into town and park your car. I'll follow you undetected, hopefully managing to fly under Alice's radar, by changing my mind a lot."

Bella nodded again. "I feel like we're running from the law or something," she whispered softly.

"I know love and I wish things were different, but right now, this is all we can do. We'll get to be together in the end and that's what's most important, isn't it?"

"It is. I know it is. I'm just trying to shut down as you asked me to."

I smiled. "I'll pull over and follow you on foot. Don't worry about anything, if anything happens I'll be right there with you. I will keep you safe, I promise."

**Alice's pov**

I saw their decision in a flash. It changed almost instantly, but I knew the new visions were diversion tactics. For once I was happy that the mind reader of our family was the one that was not here. I smiled to myself. Bella and Edward made a wicked good team and I was certain that they would manage to get out of Forks safely.

After thinking about it and checking the outcome of their original plan, I decided I could help them along a little, by inviting the wolves over to discuss Edward's absence.

"Carlisle?" I called as I approached his office.

He was beating himself up for what happened with Edward and for his leaving. I knew he hated deciding against Bella and Edward and it killed him when Edward told him not to call him son. Edward was his only true son and it was agony to Carlisle to watch him turn his back on this family.

"Come in, Alice," he murmured distractedly.

"We need to call a meeting with the wolves," I stated.

"What for, Alice?"

"Well, to make sure Edward is still covered under the treaty, despite him leaving us as a family. We need to make sure they don't see him as a free kill now."

Carlisle pursed his lips. "I think you're right. Should we invite them here, or would it be better to choose some neutral ground. I thought about it for a moment.

"We can go to the clearing where we played baseball last time. It's far enough away from everything to keep possible arguments under wraps."

"That sounds like a good idea. I will call Sam and set things up. I'll try to get it done before sunset."

I nodded and left his office. I retreated to my own room and carefully checked Edward and Bella's futures. Bella's was hardly visible, so she was successfully closing herself off from the world, becoming as invisible as she could, but in Edward's future, I could still see him with her.

My original vision of Bella as a vampire was still unwavering, so I was sure about our current plans. If anything changed, though, I would need someone to help me if needed. I thought about asking Jasper, but he was too set on his idea of keeping me safe so that was no option.

Emmett and Rosalie were out, because neither of them would care enough about this, so that left Carlisle and Esme. I couldn't ask Carlisle. If he knew what was going on behind his back as he discussed things with Sam, he would not be able to negotiate honestly. That left Esme and with a start I realized she was not only the only option, she was the best to begin with. She was fiercely loyal to her family and she would stop at nothing to get her son back, with or without Carlisle's permission.

I found her in her own office, working on a painting of the backyard.

"Esme?"

"Yes, Alice?"

"Will you go hunting with me?"

I communicated with my eyes that it was imperative that we go together. Fortunately she understood.

Thus the wheels were set in motion, my back-up plan was forming and Edward and Bella's future was one step closer to being secured.

* * *

_A/N: Things are set in motion. Let me know what you think. I am struggling a bit with finding the time to write, so please bear with me when it takes me longer than usual to update._

_Bombard me with what you think of this chapter and of how you think the story should go from here. I would love to hear your thoughts on it._

_Love,_

_Mo_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Anything Twilight related belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

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Chapter seven

**Epov**

Following Bella through the treetops was more difficult than I had anticipated. I had no way to communicate with her when something came up and it made me irate to think of what could happen to her in the seconds it would take me to get to her.

Fortunately for me, we were in the woods in Forks before I very well knew it. Bella parked her car where she said she would and walked towards that trail head. I carefully sniffed the air, trying to detect any threats that might intervene with our plans. I was almost shocked at how easily things were going so far.

I had expected something to go wrong, something to interfere with our chances of getting away unseen. Again I scanned the area, but it was bare apart from a few small animals. The fact that there were no large animals near, made me itchy. I felt like something was up, but I had no idea what exactly.

Bella stopped after walking for about half a mile and I hurried to get to the tree she was starting to climb. For someone so clumsy, she managed to get up in the tree rather well.

"Hi," she said breathlessly. "Can you help me up the rest of the way?"

I grinned down at her. "Of course, love."

I put my hands under her arms and lifted her onto my back. Bella was quiet as I climbed higher up the tree and started crossing the forest as fast as I could manage. I knew she was doing her best to shut herself down to keep Alice from seeing us, but it worried me how far she's retreat into herself.

I thought about what to do next, but all I really could focus on was getting Bella out of Forks and to a safe place as soon as possible. I mentally mapped out the possibilities for taking her to change her. I hated to admit it, but the safest place would be Alaska. Unfortunately that meant I would have to ask Tanya and her clan for help.

We moved through the forest like this until we reached the _Puget Sound_. I decided we were far enough away to get down to the ground and discuss what to do next. I pulled Bella around and held her to my chest.

"Baby, are you still here with me?"

She gave me a tight smile, but didn't respond. This was not going to go well. I looked into her eyes and could not find the spark that had intrigued me so much. Her eyes were dull, guarded, it made me feel sick.

"I am taking you away from here, love."

She sighed and laid her head down on my shoulder. I closed my eyes for a moment. I was about to shift her back to my back when I heard my phone beep, alerting me to a text message. As I pulled out my phone I knew instinctively that it was Alice.

_Get her to Canada. Esme and I will meet you at our old house in Whistler._

_We will talk tactics there. The others know nothing and will not come after us._

_We love you._

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least we had a small glimmer of hope of getting out of this in good order.

"Love, we are going to Canada. Alice and Esme will help us."

Bella raised her head. I noticed her eyes were a little more lively. "Why?"

"I don't know. All I know is that we have to trust someone in this. I have tried to figure out who to go to, but I cannot see a way out of this if we do this alone. When you are turned, you will be stronger than me, so we need at least one other vampire to help keep you under control. I first intended for us to go to Alaska, but I don't want you anywhere near Tanya."

"Who is Tanya?"

"The only other woman I've been with before you. I don't know how she would react if I were to bring you up there, Bella. She had her heart set on spending an eternity with me."

Like a light switch had been flicked on, Bella stared at me. "Are you telling me I have a vampire for competition?" she muttered.

"No love, there is no competition. You are and always will be the only woman I love."

**Bella's pov**

Somehow that small sting of jealousy was enough to snap me out of my self inflicted haze. It was strange, kind of like waking up after having fainted. I hardly remembered getting this far out, but we were now staring over the _Puget Sound_.

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," I murmured. "Do I remember correctly that you just told me we're heading into Canada?'

"Yes. Does this mean you're back?"

I smiled at him. "Yes, I'm back."

"Thank god for that. I was worried when you hardly responded."

I nodded, knowing just how hard it was for me to break out of it once I turned into myself that far. It only happened a couple of times before and if it hadn't been for my mom's lack of attention, I might have been admitted to the psychiatric ward the first time.

Edward gave me a quick kiss, before he guided me to his back again. He told me to close my eyes and hold on tight. I felt my stomach lurch as he turned and started running at full speed. I could feel butterflies attacking my stomach with every turn he made. It was all I could do not to scream like I was in a roller-coaster.

Edward ran quietly for quite some time and after a while I started getting so used to his movements that I felt myself nodding off. Edward occasionally squeezed my legs to remind me to stay awake, but it became harder and harder.

Eventually Edward stopped running and put me down in front of him. I waited a moment for my body to get used to the stillness, before I opened my eyes to look up at him. I found his amber eyes shining brightly, his face lit up with the most beautiful smile.

"How much longer do we have to run?"

"Turn around, love and see for yourself."

I turned to find a beautiful, yellow brick house with a wrap around porch and huge bay windows either side of the house, stretching the height of the bottom and second floor. The pitched roof was outfitted with two dormer windows, indicating that there were bedrooms up there as well. The entire house seemed to have been transported here from the outback in Australia.

"Wow," I breathed. "No offence to the house in Forks, but I love this one so much better."

Edward wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on the top of my head. "We haven't been here in ages, but Esme loved this place too much to sell it, so we've kept it over the years. We use it sometimes, for hunting trips, but we haven't been here in at least two years. It might need some work and we don't have much furniture here."

I shrugged. "We'll manage to make it work. The only thing I need is a working kitchen, bathroom and a decent bed and I'm happy."

"I want a piano brought in, because I think we will be here for a while."

I turned in his arms so that I could kiss him properly. "It might sound silly, but I feel like it's our house," I told him honestly.

"I had the same idea. You know it amazes me how, without reading your mind, we still have the same way of thinking."

"We do, don't we? I'm guessing you want to go inside now, too?"

"Yes, definitely. Let's use the time we have before my mother and sister arrive."

I giggled as I ran for the door, Edward following close behind. In my usual clumsiness I stumbled, though and for some reason Edward wasn't there in time to catch me. I smacked hard onto the gravel and I felt the stones cut into my hand.

"Edward, don't breathe!" I yelled while instinctively closing my fingers over my scraped palms and tucking my hands under me.

I stayed on the ground, trying hard to calm my breathing and my heart rate while listening for any sounds from Edward. With closed eyes I waited for something, anything to happen.

**Edward's pov**

I had been distracted, watching Bella run. Her body had kept me captivated and I didn't see her stumble until it was too late. I held my breath the second I noticed I wouldn't be able to catch her. She must have felt the skin break, because she reminded me to stop breathing and tried to cover her hands with her body.

I waited for a minute, to make absolutely sure I was calm enough to handle the situation before I approached her and lifted her off the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I nodded, not wanting to waste my breathe before she was properly taken care of. I carried her into the house and straight for the room that used to be Carlisle's office. I hoped I would be able to find at least some left over bandages there.

I put Bella down on the window seat so that I would have my hands free to look for something to work with. When I realized there was nothing useful here, I turned to Bella to pick her up but she shook her head to stop me.

"I will go into the bathroom I saw when you carried me in here and wash the blood off my hands. You keep looking for something to bandage it with. For all I care you rip off a piece of the drapes."

I gently kissed her forehead and left her in the office. I went for the kitchen first, but found nothing other than an ancient set of knives that we must have forgotten after our move. The bathrooms downstairs held nothing, so I headed upstairs.

_Edward!_ Alice mental voice rang out. _We brought some things with us, just go find Bella._

I sighed in relief before I headed back downstairs. Bella was sitting in the bay window in the living room. It seemed that she had fallen asleep while she waited for me.

I heard the car pull up to the house and soon enough Esme and Alice were in the door. Alice shoved me in Bella direction with some anti-bacterial spray and a few bandages, while Esme simply smirked as she took in the interior of the house and started making mental notes on the changes she wanted to make.

I frowned at that. The dark wood floors and soft brown walls were perfect for this house in my opinion. I made a mental note to discuss it with her before she started on anything. Besides, I wanted Bella's input if we were going to hide out here until we would be able to rejoin the family.

Bella woke with a surprised yelp when I took her hands in mine and inspected the damage. Thankfully it wasn't too bad, and I had it wrapped up neatly pretty soon.

"There," I breathed as I kissed both palms. "No more fear of me biting you."

Bella flashed me a smile that made me shudder. It was lazy and seductive and simply perfect. She opened her mouth to say something, but froze when Alice came bouncing into the room with Esme, chattering excitedly about tearing out the floor and maybe altering the floor plan.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked quietly.

"Oh, we were just trying to decide on the changes we want to make and if it was a better idea to just tear the place down and rebuild it, or to work with the original frame," Esme said as she sat down beside Bella and took one of her hands.

"No, you can't do that. It's perfect just the way it is. It's light, but the dark floor gives it an intimate feel. The colours downstairs are luxurious but cozy and the structure is just gorgeous...." Bella's voice faltered. "I'm sorry, what am I saying? This is your house, you should do what you want with it."

Esme smiled at her. "You can speak your mind whenever you want, especially when your opinions are as solid as this one. You're right. This house is perfect. I just get a little overexcited when we move to a new house and forget to look if we can work with what's already there. Seeing as you and Edward will be living here together, most likely without the rest of the family, for some time, I think you two should have the final say in any and all changes."

Bella blushed. "Thank you, but you don't need to.."

"Shush. We'll discuss it over the next few days. At least, I think we still have a few more days before you change her, right Edward?" she asked, turning to me.

"I think so, yes. Alice, can you tell when would be the best time?"

Alice smiled at me. "The others won't suspect anything wrong until the end of the week. We told them we were flying to Paris to shop. They will however be looking for you and Bella. Up until now I don't see them coming here, but that might change."

I nodded as I watched the mental images that went along with her words. "Okay. I think we should wait for two to three days before we do this. I want Bella as well prepared for what happens as I can."

**Bella's pov**

It was a strange idea, discussing the timing of my death, so to speak, but it was comforting at the same time. I knew who I would wake up to when I got through it all and I knew I would be with him for all of eternity. That part of the deal was most appealing of all.

Discussing it, though, made me wonder about the things I wanted to do before we went through with this. What human experiences I wanted to know before I said goodbye to this life and entered the next.

I fleetingly thought of marriage and having a family with Edward, but shoved the idea aside. Alice however had seen something, making her and Edward snap their heads around towards me.

"What?" I asked, irritably.

"Do you want to get married before I change you?" Edward asked, looking almost as stunned as Alice.

"I don't know, really. I was just thinking of human experiences I wanted to do or see before you change me and that was something that occurred to me."

Alice started grinning wickedly. "We can do this. We can have you wed the day after tomorrow if it's what you truly want."

Edward's lips twitched, showing me that he liked the idea, but wanted me to make the final decision. I smirked. "I'll do it on one condition. We do it again, properly, when I am one of you."

Edward had me up in his arms and up the stairs before I could completely register what was happening. He walked right up to the attic and into a huge room. There was a gorgeous four poster bed standing in front of the windows. It took away a lot of the light in the room, but at the same time it gave it a romantic feel that could not be ignored.

"It's the only bed I ever owned before I met you and I never bothered taking it with me when we left. I figure it will still hold us," Edward murmured close to my ear.

"What are you talking about mister?"

"You and me, naked, in bed. What do you say?"

I moaned softly at the idea. "I think it's one of those human experiences I still wanted."

He smirked. "I know, Alice showed me. She's trying to find brain bleach as we speak."

The mention of his sister made me freeze up. "They'll hear," I hissed.

"They went out for a hunt and unless there is a dire emergency, they won't be back until tomorrow morning."

I closed my eyes, smiling at the idea of having Edward all to myself for an entire night. It was a luxury I hadn't quite expected.

"What are you thinking, love?" Edward asked gently.

I inhaled deeply before opening my eyes and looking at Edward. "That I love you and that I want to discover every inch of your body."

"I love you too, my Bella. Promise me you'll stop me if you feel uncomfortable at all, or if I somehow hurt you."

His eyes were blazing with a fire I had not yet seen before and it sent pleasurable shivers down my spine. "I promise, Edward."

He gave me a feral smile before tossing me to the bed, making me bounce two times before I settled down. I grinned at him, beckoning him closer with my finger. He smiled light heartedly before he pounced on me, holding himself above me like a vampire shaped cage. I giggled, revelling in the playful air that surrounded us. Tonight would be perfect, I was sure of it.

Edward's face slid from a smirk into a soft, reverent look. His eyes were swirling with his love for me, mixed with heavy lust and I knew mine reflected the same thing. He lowered his head and softly brushed his lips over mine. It was like a feather's touch. I sighed in contentment when his mouth came back, this time applying more pressure.

A moan escaped my lips as I felt his tongue lightly trace my lower lip. I earned and answering groan as I opened my mouth to him. As our tongues moved together in a slow sensual rhythm, I let my hands roam Edward's strong back.

**Vanessa's pov**

After the boys came back from the negotiations with the Cullens, Jacob came to pick me up so he could fill me in on everything that happened. I hadn't seen Bella around, but I figured she would just be hiking or something lame like that again, so I left a note for my father and ran out to meet with Jake.

We were chatting about Emily and Sam's upcoming marriage when Jake suddenly stopped talking and hit the brakes. I nearly slammed my head into the dashboard.

"Jacob! Watch it!"

He waved his hand while he backed up the car and drove down a dirt path. He pulled up behind Bella's faded red truck.

"This is your sister's isn't it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Why is she out here?"

I waved my hand dismissively. "She always goes hiking when she feels down. I'm sure she cleared it with my dad."

"Will you call him just to make sure?"

I frowned at Jacob's worry. "What's all this about?"

The glare he shot me gave me chills. "Ness, your sister is out in the woods. Alone. While her vampire boyfriend left his family in a fit of rage. She could be in grave danger. Don't you even care about that?!"

"Of course I care about that, but according to what you just told me, the guy is already heading back to his old girlfriend. I'm sure he won't spill any tears over Bella, let alone sniff her out and hurt her."

Jacob growled low in his throat. The previous times I had heard it, it had turned me on greatly, but something about his posture now gave me goose bumps and not in a good way.

"You know what, I will call Charlie and ask him if Bella called about hiking. She'll never do something like this without letting anyone know where she went."

Jacob nodded his head, but kept his eyes glued to my sister's car. Frustrated with the lack of attention he was giving me, I threw the door open and stepped outside. Jacob didn't even move, he just stiffened in his seat.

With a roll of my eyes, I flicked my phone open and dialled the precinct. After I got a hold of Charlie he told me Bella was out camping for the night and would be home in time for dinner the next morning. Jacob was finally placated enough to drive further towards La Push, but we didn't speak another word to each other for the rest of the afternoon.

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_A/N: Not as long as I had originally planned, but I decided to put the lemon (yes, you'll get to read it) in the next chapter to give it the space it needs :)_

_So what did you think? Was it worth the wait? Sorry about that by the way. I'm working on getting back up to speed with the updates, so hang in there._

_Love you all,_

_Mo_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer

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Chapter eight

**Edward's pov**

Bella's body under me. Bella's taste in my mouth. Bella's scent in my nose.

I was drowning in her. I wanted more.

Her soft hands tugged at my shirt, shoving it higher until I had to pull away in order for her to pull it off. She giggled when it got stuck. I growled playfully before easily ripping the shirt away from me. Bella's eyes widened momentarily before clouding over in obvious lust.

I inhaled deeply, taking in her sweet smell. The air was thick with her arousal and it was making my body react violently. I wanted to bury myself deep within her, feel her heat envelop me, her body arch against me. It was almost as if I was drunk on her presence and still craving more.

"Mmmm, Edward, please."

"Please what love? What do you need?"

Bella flushed and I expected her to bite her lip and look away. Instead she once again surprised me. Looking straight into my eyes she whispered, "Touch me. I need you to touch me."

I groaned and once again captured her lips with mine, as I softly pushed her shirt up, only breaking the kiss to pull it off. I whimpered into her mouth when I felt her hot skin against my chest, her nipples deliciously rubbing against me through the fabric of her bra.

Bella's hands were tugging on my hair and although I could sense she was exerting quite a bit of force, I only felt a tingling sensation that shot straight to my groin. I shifted my hips into hers earning a guttural moan from the girl I loved so much.

Pulling away I looked down at her, taking in her heavy lidded eyes, her flushed cheeks and plumper than usual lips. She was a vision, a goddess.

My eyes slowly roamed over her chest. I groaned when my eyes landed on her lace covered breasts. I had every intention of taking this slow for her sake, but the sight of her, half-naked, was dangerous for my control. I had to close my eyes and breathe deeply before I could continue.

I felt Bella shift beneath me, a strangled sound coming from her lips. My eyes shot open and I instantly recognized the hurt in her eyes. Her arms were now covering her up, hands trembling slightly.

"Just forget it," she whispered hoarsely.

"No! God, Bella, I'm sorry. It's not what you think."

"Right, it's not what I think. You look at my boobs and you close your eyes, how is that not what I think, Edward?" Her voice was still soft but I could hear the tremors clearly, see the tears brimming in her eyes and sense her retreat into herself.

"You think I'm rejecting you, but I'm not. Baby, I had to close my eyes so I could stay in control. I was too close to ripping your clothes off and just taking you. I want you to enjoy this. I didn't want to rush things."

It was almost as if my words didn't register, because her eyes got even more distant. On instinct I jumped up, got completely undressed and stood before her.

"Bella, love, look at me and tell me I don't want you," I ordered harshly.

She blinked a couple of times and this time I could see the spark in her eyes return. She kept her eyes on my face however and that was not what had been my intention.

"Look at all of me, Bella and tell me again I don't want you," I whispered now.

As her eyes slowly lowered to my chest I felt strangely vulnerable. What if she'd think I was wanting. What if she rejected me? I knew I would never survive it if she decided I was not good enough for her.

While I internally battled with my own insecurities, Bella was still silently staring at me. I fought to keep looking at her and not close my eyes and cringe, because that is what I really wanted to do.

"Edward?" she whispered as her eyes found mine again. "Come back to bed. I love you and I'm sorry fr jumping to the wrong conclusions. I want you and I know you want me too."

Breathing a sigh of relief I ghosted back over to the bed and was back on top of her in a second.

**Bella's pov**

When Edward stood there, naked, and let me see him, I felt like crying all over again, but this time because I was the one making him feel bad. I could see a flash of insecurity pass through his golden eyes when I stayed silent, but I was too mesmerized by his gorgeous body to say something.

When that thought hit me and heat rushed over me once again, I realized that the same thing had just happened to Edward. We did love each other equally and want each other equally and I was a fool for letting some sense on insecurity ruin that idea for me.

But now Edward was above me once again, slowly undressing me. Kissing and licking every inch of skin her uncovered, effectively turning me into a quivering mess.

"Please, Edward! Please," I moaned, not entirely sure what I was asking for.

Edward chuckled against the skin of my inner thigh. "What, love? Do you want me to kiss you here?" he asked right before he softly kissed my clit.

"Ungh! Yes, please."

"So polite," he murmured.

He flicked his tongue over the sensitive nub and I nearly shot off the bed as an intense throb shot trough my body. I felt the tremors roll over me a few times before they faded and I could focus on Edward again. It was almost as if I had climaxed already, but from the tension in my body I could tell it wasn't the case.

When Edward flicked my clit again, I screamed out at the strong sensation that rocked through me.

Edward sat up and gave me a worried stare. "Bella, what just happened?"

"Ungh, I don't know. It just feels very intense."

Edward frowned and I swear I could almost see his mind working. "Let me try something," he murmured.

He reached his hand out and ran his fingertip over me. It felt like it would feel when I did it myself, just slightly colder.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," I whispered.

"Okay. Now to test my theory," he said with a wink.

He slipped his finger into his mouth and then returned it to my sex. This time when his finger touched me there was a faint echo of the sensation I felt when his mouth was on me.

"God," I moaned involuntarily.

Edward yanked his hand away in the same instant. He sat back on his haunches, looking nearly devastated.

"Edward, what is it?"

"It's my venom that does that to you, Bella. If I were to continue licking you, you wouldn't be able to handle it. Your body can't take that amount of sensation for a long period of time. You might not have noticed, but your heart rate sky-rocketed when I did it."

I sat up, staring at his dejected face in shock. "So you can't do that while I'm still human. Would you be able to do it after you turn me?"

"Yes. As far as I know from my siblings thoughts, it's intense but very enjoyable."

"Hmmm.... I wonder," I murmured, looking down at his erection. "Lay back, Edward, there is more to discover."

He arched a brow, but did as I asked nonetheless. I crawled over him, kissing him lightly on the lips before leaving a trail of kisses down his perfectly chiselled chest. I heard Edward take in a sharp breath as I reached his bellybutton, undoubtedly figuring out what I intended.

I looked up at him from under my lashes and gave him what I hoped to be a sultry smile. His eyes darkened and a low growl escaped him. My stomach fluttered dangerously at the erotic image before me.

My instincts screamed at me to make him mine, to slide down over him and ride him until he cried out my name. I took a deep breath, told myself to be patient and then lowered my head towards his large sex.

**Edward's pov**

Bella's head was poised over me, I could feel her warm breath fanning over my dick, making me jerk in response.

"Mine," she growled under her breath, before lowering her mouth over me.

My eyes snapped shut, stars erupted behind my eyelids and my whole body arched off the bed. If I had still had a heartbeat it would have been flying well over it's maximum rate. I couldn't focus on anything but the waves of pleasure shooting through me.

When they subsided I looked up and found Bella looking at me with a smug smile on her face. I glanced down and noticed that I was still hard, so despite the intensity of the feeling I had not climaxed.

"What are you grinning at?" I asked lazily.

"Apparently I am just as dangerous for your senses as you are for mine."

"That's how it felt when I did that to you?"

"I think so. You were pretty out of it, weren't you?"

"I was. Wow."

Bella came back up to kiss my mouth. "Don't start analysing this. You can do that after I've been changed and we have found a way to contact your family without endangering the treaty."

I laughed at the ease with which she saw where my mind had gone before I even really registered I had drifted in that direction. It was almost as if she could hear my thoughts.

"I think I can wait with the analyses."

Bella bit her lip and then with one swift move impaled herself on me. If her mouth left me breathless, her body taking me in nearly killed me with the intensity of the feeling. I could immediately feel her contracting around me, drawing my own climax from me.

For several minutes our orgasms triggered the other's and we kept coming. It wasn't until I heard Bella's heartbeat stutter that I realized she was not able to take these feelings.

I pulled out of her at once, pulling her limp body to me and holding her close while she kept shuddering.

"Bella, love. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I should have stopped you, taken it slowly."

"S...okay....f-feels....great," she stuttered between shivers.

I gently rocked her in my arms until she completely calmed down. I was surprised I could still keep in mind to hold her gently so I wouldn't crush her, because my mind was one big pile of mush and my limbs felt heavy and rubbery.

Eventually Bella raised her head to look at me. "I think she shouldn't try that again before you change me," she whispered.

"I think so too."

We were quiet again, just lying in each other's arms, trying to recuperate. I felt Bella drift in and out of slumber a couple of times and for once I wished I could still sleep. Waking up with Bella in my arms would be the best feeling in the world, I was sure of that.

Instead I held her while she dozed and kissed her every time she woke. My mind was already contemplating the preparations for her change that I had to make. I would have to try and reach the Denali's to help restrain her during her newborn stage and I was not looking forward to that. I was unsure of how Tanya would respond.

Sure she had been reasonable when I left her, but showing up with the girl I loved and intended to stay with for the rest of eternity, was something else entirely. What if she refused the help we so desperately needed. What if she gave away our location to Carlisle and the rest of the family?

_Edward, relax,_ I heard Alice's thoughts in the distance. _For as far as I can tell now, things will work out just fine. Just enjoy her last human days._

"Thanks, Alice," I murmured, knowing she would hear me from where she and Esme were.

**Bella's pov**

When I woke up the following morning, I felt like something was off. I was still in Edward's arms and I could still feel the wonderful aches and pains of our lovemaking from the previous night, but despite all that I felt odd. As I rolled over, my stomach churned and I had to scramble to get to the toilet in time.

I felt Edward behind me, holding my hair back as I threw up. Part of me didn't want him to see me like this, while the other part of me just wanted to curl up in his arms and let him hold me until I felt better.

"Love? " he asked after I emptied my stomach.

"Hm?"

"Should I take you downstairs or should I put you back to bed?"

"I'll take a shower and come downstairs. Are Esme and Alice back yet?"

"Yes, they would like to know what's wrong."

"Do you know?"

"No, I don't. I'd like to know too and I think you would too, right?"

"Yes, I would."

"Would you mind terribly if I called Carlisle?"

At that I realized just how worried Edward was. "Edward, why are you worried enough to call him?"

He cleared his throat. "Let me take you back to bed first."

"Can you hand me some water?"

He did as I asked. I rinsed out my mouth, flushed the toilet for the last time and allowed him to take me back to the bed. When he had me tucked under, her took both my hands in his and looked up at me with a solemn expression on his face.

"Somewhere during the night, your scent changed. It's subtle, but there is something different about your blood. About an hour later you got a very small fever, but that went almost as fast as it came and now you're throwing up. It's got me worried."

"That's not all, is it? Because if it is, it could be a simple stomach flue."

"Alice is having trouble seeing your future. Everything was fine until the moment your blood changed. She came back in a panic, expecting to find us in trouble, but you were sleeping. We think your illness is linked to it, but I would like to ask Carlisle's opinion."

"You can't. The wolves will know and the others will get in trouble."

"We were set to move at the end of this year anyway. We'll just move it up a few months."

"I don't know, Edward. Can't we just see what happened in the next few days. If it gets worse we can call Carlisle."

Edward reluctantly agreed with me as long as I promised to stay in bed and let him, Alice and Esme take care of me.

As the day progressed my belly started to hurt badly, and my temperature rose slightly. Edward was almost frantic with worry, driving me and Esme crazy with his pacing and his scared glances. Eventually she instructed Alice to take him hunting.

Esme sat down beside me and ran her hand gently through my hair. "He loves you so much, Bella. It's amazing to see after all these years of seeing him alone."

I smiled up at her. "I still find it hard to believe that we've grown such a strong bond over such a short period of time. He's amazing. You've raised him well."

Esme laughed. "Thank you, Bella. I guess I did take over the roll his mother played after I was changed, despite the fact that he is older than me."

"That doesn't change the fact that you're his mom, right?"

"I guess not. So that means tomorrow I get another daughter. That is, if you are well enough to be married."

I grinned up at her. "I am. I am really looking forward to that."

"Me too."

**Vanessa's pov**

Dinnertime came and went, but Bella never showed. Jacob, who was having dinner at our house, threw me a glare before excusing himself to call his father and find out if any of the La Push men had heard or seen of Bella. Dad sat at the kitchen table, staring off into the distance without speaking.

"Relax, dad. Bella's not the type to get into trouble, dad. She'll be fine."

His eyes snapped to mine and I cringed at the rage I saw there. "Vanessa, in case you haven't noticed, Bella has never promised me something that she hasn't followed through on. Bella never comes home later than planned without so much as a call and now she's three hours late and her cell is out of service. She could be hurt out there in the woods somewhere and have no way to contact anyone. Do not tell me to relax!"

I blinked away the tears that suddenly sprung into my eyes. "I didn't mean to sound flippant about this, dad. I'm just sure she's all right. She's my twin, I would feel it if she was hurt."

Dad growled. He actually growled at me. "Don't start to pull the twin card, Ness. You and I both know that bond you might have had when you were younger has been seriously strained. It hasn't survived the years of distance, believe me, I can feel it."

"What do you mean, you can feel it?"

"Vanessa," he sighed. "Do you think I can live in this town all my life and not know the supernatural life that's living here? I know about the boys at La Push, I know the Cullen's are not what they seem. I also knew when I met your mother she was different from normal humans, like I was."

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant by that, but he was up and out of the kitchen before I could speak.

* * *

_A/N: First of all: I'm sorry for taking so long to update. There really is no other excuse than that I've been busy._

_Second of all: I realize I messed up with the last update when I posted the altered Chapter seven as a new chapter. I have corrected the matter and this is the true chapter eight. Once agian my apologies for making you all think you've gotten a new chapter when all it was was an extended old one._

_And last but not least: I gope you liked this chapter. It has lifted the veil of the reason for the differences in Vanessa and Bella. You will get a little more in the next chapter._

_I hope you liked it and I hope you guys will keep reading._

_Love,_

_Mo_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer

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Chapter nine

**Charlie's pov**

Damn it! I should have kept my big mouth shut! Renee was going to kill me if she ever found out I mentioned our secret to Vanessa. But the way she'd been behaving, her lack of concern for her sister and her constant desire to be the centre of attention just got to me. She reminded me so much of Renee's selfishness, it rubbed me the wrong way every damn time.

Bella was like me, quiet, reserved, capable of withdrawing within herself as a defence mechanism. She was the hardest to let go of when Renee took off. Though I hated myself for it, I did favour her. Then again, Renee favoured Vanessa, so I wasn't the only parent in the wrong.

I took a deep breath, shoved aside my own issues and focused on my senses to find Bella. If she was in the forest I would be able to find her. I might even be able to track her farther out if I could get some time to focus. I debated on going into the woods, but then I would risk running into one of those damned dogs.

For a brief moment I considered going to the Cullens, asking them for help, but I wasn't going to risk exposing myself to a bunch of vampires, no matter how civil this group might be.

"Damn it!" I muttered when I drew up a blank about where to set up to find Bella.

My cell phone rang in my pocket, jolting me from my musings.

"Swan," I barked.

"Chief Swan, this is Alice Cullen," a soft musical voice told me.

"How did you get this number?"

"Bella gave it to me. Chief Swan, Bella needs you. I don't know what's happening, but I know you'll be the key to saving her." Her voice had taken on a panicked edge, one that made my muscles tense in an instinctive fight or flight response.

"Where is she?"

"She's with me and part of my family, but we really need you to come here."

"Where am I finding you?"

"I'll text you the address."

"Okay, I'll be on my way right after I've settled Vanessa at La Push."

**Alice's pov**

When Edward and I were hunting I got a brief flash of Charlie going to find Carlisle to help find Bella, but he quickly changed his mind sending the entire future revolving around Bella into a dark pit.

Edward, who of course had followed the scene in my head was back at the house before I could really come back from my vision. I ran after him, arriving a few seconds after he did.

I asked Bella for her father's number and called him before Edward could voice his protest, but I was sure it was coming. I informed Charlie that we needed him and couldn't quite hide the panic I felt from him. Thankfully he understood and was on his way over, but I was still on edge because he was floating in and out of my visions like Bella had when she pulled away from every one.

Edward sensed my worries, but didn't comment on them. He only sat by Bella's side, trying to cool her burning fever with his own temperature. Bella's blood had changed in scent even more that before we left and I knew that this was something we needed to worry about.

"Love, will you let me call Carlisle? We could use his medical advise."

"Do what you think is right, Edward," she murmured. "Alice, did my dad say he was coming?"

"He did. I get a feeling he could help us, possibly even more than Carlisle can."

"Why?"

"I have a feeling he can explain some things about your illness. It's nothing solid, just instinct. I think Charlie knows more about the supernatural than he lets on."

Bella closed her eyes, wincing in pain. "My dad isn't that observant, Alice," she groaned.

"Love, relax. Let's worry about your dad when he gets here, okay? I'm going to call Carlisle. Will you be okay with Esme for while?"

"Sure. Love you."

"I love you too."

I had to look away when they kissed, because it made me miss Jasper like crazy. Not only that, but there was something about seeing the two of them together that made me feel protective of them both. They were so strongly bonded to one another that I feared if they were to be separated, neither of them would survive for long. That was one of the reasons I hadn't agreed to the plan to force Edward to stay away from her.

Edward motioned me to follow him once he disentangled himself from Bella's arms. I gave Bella a quick kiss on the cheek before following my brother out of the room.

"Ali, can you see if the men at La Push suspect something?"

"I can't see the wolves once they've started phasing."

"What about the older men, the ones that don't phase? Please, try, Alice."

I nodded and made myself focus on Billy Black, one of the most prominent men on the reservation. For as far as I could see there was no reason for us to worry about the wolves in the foreseeable future. I heard Edward sigh in relief beside me.

I turned my head and smiled at him. "I'm sure things will turn out okay, Edward. You just have to be patient."

He nodded, but I could tell he had a hard time hanging onto hope. For once in all the years I spent with him, I did not know how to bring him out of this slump. I could not reassure him with a vision, nor could my words ever alleviate his worries.

All we could do for the moment was pray that Charlie and Carlisle would be here soon and would be able to help Bella get well again.

I went back in to sit at Bella's bedside while Edward called Carlisle and informed him about what was going on.

**C****arlisle's pov**

I broke the connection feeling like my insides had been torn. I had never heard Edward sound so panicked, which meant he loved Bella far more than any of us have ever suspected. Even Jasper hadn't realized just how much. My stomach churned as I remembered how casually I had dismissed their connection when the wolves were here.

But I had no time to dwell on it. I had to get to my son and Bella. I would see if I could intercept Charlie, so that we could drive together. It might be wise to speak to him before we arrived.

"Kids," I called in a normal voice, knowing they would hear me.

Rosalie and Emmett emerged from their room, looking awfully dishevelled. I cringed at the smell of their lovemaking. Sometimes they were a bit too much to stomach. Jasper trailed into the room after them, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"I just received a call and it seems that I am needed in Canada right away. I trust you three to keep things going here and to cover for my absence when someone asks. I will contact the hospital myself. Alice and Esme will be gone longer than they first thought, so I've also excused Alice from school for the next two weeks claiming a family emergency. If you have any inclination that people are suspicious, or if the wolves demand to know why so many of us are missing, contact me immediately and I will let you know where to go and what to do. Can you promise me this?"

"Of course." Jasper muttered. "I don't understand why Alice didn't call me though."

"I think it's best that we keep as much secret as we can until we know what it going on. Please trust me on this," I offered.

They agreed, albeit reluctantly. I apologized again for not informing them properly, and then hurried to get my medical bag.

I found Charlie just outside of town, heading in the direction of Seattle. I signalled him to pull over. At first he scowled at me and stomped further on the gas, but when he realized it was me, he pulled up to the next gas station.

As I got out of the car he was already swinging a bag over his shoulder and heading my way. "I take it we're travelling together?" he said.

"We are, get in, we can talk on the way."

He nodded curtly, tossed his bag in the back seat and slid into the passenger side.

"Let's go," he muttered as soon as he had his seatbelt on.

We drove in silence for nearly an hour until I finally decided I needed to know why Alice had called Charlie and what exactly he knew.

"Charlie, can I ask why Alice called?"

He turned to me with a scowl on his face. "My daughter runs off with your son and you dare question my being here?"

"No, that's not what I meant. It's just…. I don't know what Alice's reasons were for calling you."

He inhaled deeply, cracked his neck and then turned his eyes back to me. His eyes had taken on a startling violet colour, but not only his eyes had changed, Charlie's features had altered into something more ethereal.

"Charlie?"

The man beside me snorted. "It's a ridiculous name, I know, but after three centuries Charles got tiresome. Especially now that I am bound to this body and this world for the rest of my life."

"What are you?"

"I believe you would call me a fallen angel."

It took all my senses to keep the car from swerving off the road. I was in the car with a being that we thought to be myth. My head spun.

"Can you explain this to me, because I am having a hard time comprehending this."

Charlie shook his head, his face returning back to the one I was familiar with. "Even with all that extra room you have up there?" He cocked an eyebrow at me, a smile tugging on his lips.

"You know about us." It was a statement, but he nodded in confirmation.

"I know about all creatures that live in and near Forks."

"Are there more than us and the wolves?"

"Yes, but none that would make any difference for any of us. They're creatures like wood spirits and pixies. They float in and out of this dimension and most of them like the dense forests and the humidity. They never interact with other species, though. I just know they're there because I can see them."

"This is incredible. But how did you become a fallen angel?"

Charlie winced. "It's very simplistic. I fell in love with an earthbound creature and created new life with her. Once she was pregnant, I fell, which basically means I am stuck as half human. I age, but in another thirty years, this body will rejuvenate to the age when I first came down to earth in it. So I will live on forever, repeating the same approximately fifty years over and over."

"At least you have a fifty year time frame. We are forced to repeat this charade every five to ten years."

"Ah, but you have a safe haven up in Alaska where you retreat to every few moves, right?"

"How do you know?"

"I should explain how we angels even come into existence."

"Please do," I said quietly.

"We are created to counterbalance the evil creatures that roam the earth, and note my quotation marks around the word evil. In every species there are those that are malicious and there are those that are benevolent. I didn't have to do much balancing with you. Hell, with your willpower and the good you're done the world over, I might have to do some evil things to even you out, but thankfully that's not something I have to do."

I scrambled to wrap my head around this information. "So every time a vampire is created, an angel is born?"

"No an angel is created as well. It works almost the same as creating a vampire, except it doesn't involve any biting. I can't remember much of it, but I know that we burn like you do, it's supposed to be a cleansing ritual for the human soul that is necessary to evolve into an angelic soul. Don't tell anyone I said this, but I think it's bull."

At that I had to laugh. Charlie grinned happily.

"Hmmm…" he mused. "I don't think this has ever happened before, the evil vampire and it's good angel counterpart sitting in the same car talking amicably."

I laughed so hard I would have been crying if I were still human.

**Charlie's pov**

I never would have expected to feel so comfortable with Carlisle. Of course I knew almost everything he has done over the centuries up until the moment I fell, but he was still a vampire and I had been imprinted with the belief he was evil.

But here I was, chatting like we had been friends for ages.

"Hey, Charlie," Carlisle started. "What happens to an angel when a vampire gets killed?"

"It's pretty nasty, but the angel burns again for three days then returns to earth in his human form without any memories. Most of them die pretty soon after, because living without any memories whatsoever drives a lot of them crazy to the point of insanity."

"That's horrible."

"Yeah, that's why I'm not too fond of the Volturi. They kill far too many of their own kind for the most ridiculous reasons. Too bad their angel counterparts are just as hungry for power. They actually help them by executing many of the re-humanised angels. Sick bastards. The world would be better off without them."

Carlisle nodded absently, no doubt mulling over the consequences of the Volturi's actions.

"Did Alice or Edward tell you what's wrong with Bella?" I asked, finally voicing my biggest worry.

"Are you sure you want me to tell you?"

"Yes. I'd rather be prepared."

"Bella and Edward consummated their relationship and ever since that happened, Bella has been steadily getting more and more sick. Her blood has been changing and she's feeling horrible."

I clenched my fists and tried my damndest to stay calm. "Did they use protection?"

"I don't think they did, seeing as vampires cannot reproduce."

At Carlisle words, I snapped my head up to glare at him. I knew my eyes were flashing violet by now. "Are you stupid? Did you ever research this statement you just uttered?"

I could see his throat work as he gulped. "No," he whispered.

"Well let me tell you, incubi are nothing more than male vampires who impregnate non-vampire females. And with Bella's genetics, it is most likely the cause for her body's violent response. She's half angel, half Siren and there is no way here body will accept your sons sperm! She'll most likely die!"

Carlisle winced. "I never realized this could happen and it's not like any of us knew about her parentage."

"I know. It's just the worry for Bella that's talking. Even me and Renee aren't sure about her genetics. From the way people respond to Bella and Vanessa, it seems that Bella has my genes and Vanessa had Renee's. We don't know what that means and up until now it never seemed to matter."

I turned to stare out the window, my stomach in tight knots. I didn't feel like calling in the help of the oracle, but depending on Bella's condition, I would have to. She would give me the tongue lashing of the century when she heard, I was sure of it.

"So Renee is a Siren?"

I chuckled. "Yeah. I was like those ridiculous sailors and was lured right into her arms. Too bad she didn't know how it would affect her when she slept with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Man, Carlisle you are too curious. One day you'll regret wanting to know about everything."

"Can't help it, I was born inquisitive."

"Fine, but don't ask me for details."

"Agreed, go ahead."

"Wood nymphs and Sirens, like Renee, are beings that exist in another dimension and only show themselves occasionally. They only come to this world to breed. They lure human men into their traps and make love to them until they have been impregnated with the next generation. It's really strange, because if they're pregnant with a boy, their body rejects the foetus. In short the come here until they're pregnant with a girl and then return to their dimension."

"Renee made the mistake of luring me, an angel disguised as a human. With her being pregnant with two girls she was welcomed back like a queen. It wasn't until the girls were born that they discovered their father wasn't human. Renee got kicked right back to earth, with the girls. Since I had already been convicted to life down here, she decided to try and make things work with me. It didn't, so she left."

I had to give Carlisle points for not looking shocked.

"Wow," he breathed after a few minutes.

"Tell me about it. You wouldn't believe how much I had to keep from spilling to my girls."

"So why didn't you tell Bella to stay away from Edward?"

"Bella is alone too much. Vanessa draws people in like she were a Siren. She's never been left wanting for company. I thought Edward would make he a good friend. I didn't expect them to run away together, though."

"That's our fault. The wolves wanted us to force Edward to stop seeing Bella. We agreed to it to keep the peace."

"Damned mutts."

Really, before those boys started phasing they were pleasant enough, but now they were interfering where they weren't wanted.

"Well, I'll be sure to pay them a visit when we know what's going on with Bella."

"I'll go with you. Bella is part of our family now and we fight for family until our last breath."

I laughed. "One you don't even need."

Carlisle grinned and nodded. "We'll be at the border soon."

I felt my stomach tighten as the nerves resurfaced. What was I going to find? How was Bella doing and if she did get pregnant what would that mean for her? As far as I knew no human woman ever survived the birth of a half breed.

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_A/N: So the truth is revealed, but there a still some questions to be answered._

_For all of you who left me a review on last chapter, thank you so so much. Every single one of them cheers me up significantly. So, what did you think of this one? Hit or miss?_

_Love,_

_Mo_

_PS Who has gone to see New Moon, yet? I did and I must say I missed Robert's music. I really loved the two songs he did for Twilight and it's a shame they didn't include any in New Moon. (And the same goes for Bella's lullaby, by the way.)_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to Stephenie Meyer

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Chapter ten

**Vanessa's pov**

Last night Jacob and I had made love for the first time, but this morning, I woke up to a cold bed. When I went to find Jacob, I could almost see the wall he had put up around him. He was cold and distant and he hardly spoke to me. I didn't know if it had to do with his father keeping a close eye on the both of us, or if something had happened between last night and today, but something was completely off.

I tried to ask him what was wrong, but he just told me he had to talk to Sam about something, leaving me behind with his scowling father. I retreated into his room, intent on hiding out for as long as I had to be here.

Somewhere during the morning I must have fallen asleep because I woke when a vicious pain shot through my abdomen. Groaning I curled up into a ball. When the sharp stab of pain didn't come back I unfurled and tried to get up.

There was still a burn low in my gut. It was dull, but constantly nagging. I tried worry about it, but as I checked my phone if my dad left a message on Bella and found none, the pain became more prominent. I debated calling him, but I didn't want to do that around a group of highly sensitive ears on the reservation. I'd rather go back to the house and call him from there.

So I got up, got dressed and headed back into the small living room. The wolves were crowded around it, speaking quietly with their heads together.

"I'm heading home to get some things and check for messages. I'll be back in a couple of hours," I muttered.

Jacob didn't even spare me a glance. I frowned. Was this what imprinting meant? That he could simply ignore me, because he thought I wouldn't leave him? What the hell was going on. The throbbing pain increased even more, and I had to grit my teeth not to double over to ease it.

When I was safely on the road to Forks I allowed myself to feel the pain completely. I pulled over to the side of the road and curled up on the seat. To my surprise I started crying. I hardly ever cried, no matter what happened, but something about this crazy situation made me feel desperate and incredibly lonely.

For the first time in my life I realized how much I relied on Bella being close by, because in that moment I really missed her. Even when things were horrible between us with the whole mess I created with Casey, she was still close. She was still in the same house as me, despite her unwillingness to talk to me. But now she was gone and I had no idea where she had gone.

I wanted, no needed, to know where she was and if she was okay, so I pulled out my cell and dialled my father's phone.

**Charlie's pov**

When we arrived in the dead of night, Carlisle had gone straight to Bella's and had not wavered from it during an exhausting amount of tests. While he was working on determining what was happening with Bella, I pulled Edward aside and explained to him as calmly as I could what Bella's nature was and that it might be the cause for her falling ill.

"Damn it, I hurt her," he muttered once I was through speaking.

"You didn't know," I offered, although I had a hard time not tearing into him for taking my daughter away from me. Right now, Bella needed all of us to pull together in order to find out what was wrong with her.

Somewhere around dawn Carlilse finally left the bedroom, but he did not look hopeful. "I can't find what's wrong with her. I tried testing for a pregnancy, but that came back negative. I did some blood tests for infections or bacterial diseases, but they're all negative. The only thing I found is that her blood seems to be altering, but it's too early for me to determine what exactly is happening. It looks almost the same like blood during the changing process, but because of her genetics I can't be sure that she is indeed changing."

I groaned. I had put all my hope on Carlisle to find the source of the problem, but now that he had no definite answers I was going to have to call on the one woman I really didn't want to speak to right now.

"I know one person who will have the answers for us. She won't be pleased about this, though. She'll kick my ass for this." I muttered the last part, but judging by Carlisle's quiet snicker he heard.

I made the call and as expected I got the tongue lashing of the century, but at least she agreed to come and help.

While we were waiting I explained to Bella what I was and what her mom was. She cracked a couple of jokes, which made me feel a little more comfortable. At least she wasn't too sick to poke fun at me.

Half way through the morning I got a call from Vanessa and I instantly felt bad for leaving her hanging without information.

"Nessie, I'm sorry I didn't call you," I said as soon as I picked up.

"It's okay, dad. Did you find her?"

"Yes, she's right here. She's sick, though."

"What's wrong with her?"

I frowned at the strained sound of Vanessa's voice. "Ness, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Just a stomach ache, dad. Nothing too serious."

I nearly dropped the damn phone. "Do you have a temperature?"

"I'm starting to get one, why? What's wrong with Bells?"

"Ness, does your stomach feel like it's burning from the inside?"

"Yes. Dad, you're scaring me! Is Bella okay? She has to be okay, dad."

"She's okay. But I don't know how bad it'll get. I need you to go to the Cullen's house and ask them to get you out here."

"What? Dad, are you serious? Those people are dangerous!"

"Trust me, baby girl. They will get you out here safely. Alice is already calling Jasper to come and get you. Just trust me."

"Daddy, I'm scared."

I felt my throat close up at the naked fear in her voice. "I know, sweetheart. I'm scared too, but we'll work it out. We'll find out what's happening and then we'll make sure the two of you will get the treatment you need. I promise."

I heard her suck in a shocked breath. "I think they're here. One of them is really big, dad. Are you sure about this?"

"I am. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

**Vanessa's pov**

I was trembling as I closed my phone and fumbled to get the door of my car open.

"Are you Jasper?" I asked, even though I knew he had to be.

"Yes. Come on, Ness. We need to get you to you sister sooner rather than later."

"Okay," I whispered.

He asked me permission to pick me up, which I granted. He slung me over his back, told me to close my eyes and hang on and then he was off like a bullet from a gun. It took me less than thirty seconds to get motion sickness, so I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed with all my might that he would hold on to me.

I had no idea how long we ran for, but at some point they came to a grinding halt and Jasper spun around quickly, a menacing growl coming from his throat. I shivered involuntarily. He let me slide down to the ground and took my hand in his.

"Vanessa go with Rosalie and don't look back. Promise me, okay?"

"Okay," I murmured, as two smaller hands grabbed my waist. I hardly had the chance to open my eyes before Rosalie was running, with me on her back and behind us loud growls and hisses were heard.

"Rosalie, what's going on?"

"The wolves tracked us when they caught out scent during their patrol. It was pure dumb luck, but the boys need to keep them off our tail if we want to get you to Canada."

"For what it's worth, thank you."

"Don't thank me. I was convinced we were right to send your sister away and now look where it got us. I just wish I could beat some wolf-ass with the boys to get this frustration out."

I chuckled. "You and me both. Jacob supposedly imprinted on me, but now that we've had sex, he completely ignores me."

Rosalie snorted derisively. "Bastard. Trust me, you'll be better off without him, imprinted or not."

"If you would have said that yesterday, I would have told you to shut up because you knew nothing about it, but now, I'm inclined to say you're right."

"Let's hope the boys can shake them off and make it out to the house safely. When we get there we'll call in reinforcements just to be safe. We need more hands to help with the fighting if it gets to that."

"How many of you are there?"

"Like us, not many. But our father, Carlisle, has made many friends during his time on earth and despite our differences in lifestyles, they would stand up with us in a heartbeat."

I stayed silent after that. Of all the people that vied for my attention, I didn't think there was even one willing to stand up for me when it counted. I felt disgusted and sad at the same time. All this time I thought I was so high and mighty because I was popular, but when I truly thought about it, I was no more connected to others than Bella had been. My loneliness was merely disguised under the presence of many acquaintances.

I groaned inwardly when I though about all the shitty things I had done to my sister ever since I started garnering more attention than her. The things I said to her in the past couple of years were ridiculous. As they replayed in my head, they sounded petulant and spoiled, even to myself.

"I have to apologize to Bella when we get there. I've been a horrible sister," I muttered, more to myself than Rosalie.

"I know the feeling. I always lash out whenever I feel insecure and over the years they all just started to write it off as me being bitchy. Emmett knows, though. And you do."

"I hope I can change, at least for Bella's sake."

"Kid, you're human. You can change. I've been set in my ways ever since I was changed. There aren't many things that a vampire changes for."

"I'll keep that in mind if your brother changes my sister. She should be the same loving, far too accommodating Bella, but more durable, right?"

Rosalie snickered. "She'll probably need the durable part. I noticed her tendency to trip when we were in school."

"Do you think we get to go back to school at some point?"

"Who knows? First you need to focus on getting you and your sister healthy again, because you are really starting to burn up."

"I hardly notice, because you're so cold."

**Bella's pov**

I was tired, so tired. I just wanted to close my eyes and go to sleep, but Edward's frantic worry was enough to keep my from giving into the fatigue. Apparently we were waiting for the oracle, I rolled my eyes again. Alice was oracle enough for my tastes, but this woman was supposed to have the answers we needed, so we waited.

And then there was the situation near the border. Jasper had sent Rosalie and Vanessa off together to reach the house, but he and Emmett had gotten stuck fighting off the wolves. Rose and Nessie arrived just a while ago and Alice and Carlisle took off with Rose to get the boys out, while Esme stayed behind to call reinforcements.

Vanessa had been sitting beside me, looking worse for wear herself, but she hadn't said much. She just held my hand.

I glanced up at Edward, who was still pacing like a caged animal. Suddenly I was tired of it. "Edward, stop that!" I snapped. "You're making everyone nervous. I told you, it'll be fine, so stop worrying."

"How can I stop worrying!" he yelled back. "The only girl I ever loved is so sick she can hardly sit up and it's all because of me! I'm a monster for taking you away form your normal life. I should have left you alone."

"Don't you dare start on that, Edward! You are not a monster and I happed to think that what we shared was something beautiful, but if you insist on regretting what we did, maybe you shouldn't be here!"

His eyes flashed angrily. "Don't say that. I don't regret anything. I love you and it kills me to see you hurting."

I closed my eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath. "Okay, but please stop pacing. It's making me cranky."

"Sorry, love. Can I get either of you something to drink or eat? I need to get out of the house for a little while."

"Some juice would be great," Vanessa croaked from beside me.

I looked up at her and smiled. "Yeah, I'm thirsty."

Edward nodded. "Anything else?"

We both shook our heads and he laughed. "I can finally tell you're twins," he said before giving me a quick kiss and leaving me and Vanessa to ourselves.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Better than you. The pain is getting better to handle, but I have a feeling like I'm on fire. It's annoying the hell out of me."

"Me too. So what happened to Jacob?"

"He's an ass. We made love last night and this morning he was giving me the cold shoulder so much that he seemed like a completely different person."

"So this pain you're feeling started after you made love?"

"Yes, why?"

"It's the same for me. It started after we made love. Edward first noticed the change in my blood and then the stomach ache started. Did you use protection?"

Nessie's eyes widened. "No. Oh, god, we didn't think of it! Oh my god, this is bad. Who knows what that guys genes are doing to me?"

"Yeah, tell me about it. I still can't believe dad's story."

Ness nodded. Dad had pulled her aside as soon as she arrived and told her everything he told me. "How do you feel about all of it?" I asked.

"Strange. Like I'm not me anymore. It's crazy."

"Yeah, I know."

The door opened then and a frail looking old woman came shuffling in. It took me and Vanessa a minute to recognize her, but when we did we both smiled.

"Gran!"

* * *

_A/N: Hi guys! So, just in time for Christmas! I hope you guys enjoyed it and will let me know your thoughts on how things are developing._

_A very merry Christmas to you all and a happy new year. (In case I don't get around to uploading before the new year.)_

_Hugs and kisses,_

_Mo_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related characters and events belong to Mrs. Meyer.

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**

Chapter eleven

**Bella's pov**

Gran shuffled into the room. She didn't look happy at all and when she looked at me and Vanessa she shook her head, looking almost disappointed. She muttered something under her breath and then came over to us and placed her hands on our foreheads.

"When I am done here, I am going to kill your father, girls. Sorry about that."

I snickered despite myself.

"Do not laugh at me Isabella. I'm serious."

She managed to keep a straight face for all of two minutes until she smiled. Vanessa and I both burst into giggles as the same time, which made Gran smile even wider.

"Gran, what are you doing here?"

She harrumphed before sitting down at the end of my bed. "Well, seeing as how you girls are still calling me Gran, I take it your father hasn't explained this side of things."

I glanced at Vanessa, who looked just as confused as I felt. "What is going on Gran?"

She sighed. "Edward, why don't you and the rest of the family come inside and listen to this as well," she said quietly.

A few minutes later the entire Cullen gang and dad walked in and took seats on the floor in silence.

"Don't worry, girls, the wolves have gone back to the reservation to regroup. They will be back in a few days after the reinforcements have arrived."

"Oookay," I drawled, feeling like more and more of my known world was spinning out of control.

Vanessa squeezed my hand. I didn't know if it was to reassure me or because she was getting more nervous, like I was, but I appreciated the feeling. I looked at Edward, trying to gauge his reaction, but he looked just as tense as the rest of us.

"First of all, let me introduce myself to you girls properly. I am the Oracle."

I gaped at her and Vanessa gasped beside me. Gran held up her hand to stop anyone from speaking. "I am going to explain some things to you and I want you all to keep your questions to yourself until I am finished, can you do that?"

She looked pointedly at Alice who was positively vibrating in place. Alice nodded with a resigned look on her face. It would have made me laugh if I hadn't suffered a particular painful wave going through my midsection. Gran's brow furrowed as she looked me over.

"You, my dear, are going to be one of a kind when this is all over."

I felt completely uncertain on whether or not that was a good thing. I had no idea what she meant exactly and it made me anxious to think about the options, so I decided to try and block those thoughts out.

"I should probably start by explaining my own history and how this ties into your lives," Gren started. "Like I said, I am the Orcale. In Roman times the position I hold was named the Oracle of Delphi. I was only one of the many instruments the Oracle used to guide the creatures on this earth. You see the Oracle is in fact the leader of a group of so called 'vessels'. Vessels are people who have certain talents that are recruited to work for the Oracle as their talents manifest."

"In ancient times it was widely accepted that any one with unusual gifts, like the gift of foresight, would report to the Oracle of Delphi and they would subsequently do the Oracle's bidding in one way or another. If you combine a vast amount of these talented people, you get a widely spread network of paranormally talented people that, if they work together smoothly, can give an outcome on practically any situation."

"But when the Roman empire fell, so did the acceptance of the Oracle. The woman who had been called the Oracle of Delphi stepped down from her position and handed me the reigns. Like angels, the one who is in the position of Oracle, we grow old and at a certain age we rejuvenate to the age we were when we took the position."

"Back when I started it was normal for Oracles to stay in position for two or maybe three lifetimes before they gave up the position to a promising vessel. But because of the turmoil in the world after the romans lost their empire, there were no vessels that were willing to take over, which means that I have been in this position for over fifteen hundred years."

"As time passed me by, I maintained a network of around a hundred vessels that were still willing to work for me, but they hid their true abilities from the rest of the world. Most of them still hide what they can do from those around them, but these days there are some that are more open about their abilities. It's slowly getting better."

"Now, as for how I got mixed up in your lives. Charles wasn't the first angel to get lured unintentionally by a siren, nor is he the first angel to get a siren pregnant, but normally speaking a siren's body would reject an angel's genes, simply because their genes don't mix. Trouble with Charles and Renee was, that she is one of the rare sirens that were capable of bearing twins, so the angel's genes were mostly concentrated in one egg, while the siren's genes went to the other."

"This explains why Vanessa had always drawn people easily, while Bella seems to deflect them. Sorry, girls, but it's genetic. So when word got out that a siren was pregnant with an angel's children, I knew I had to keep an eye on things, because you are both unique creatures. In fact, if word of this ever got out, you might find yourselves running from several mythical creatures."

Gran took a deep breath and seemed to sort out what to explain next, while the rest of us tried frantically to cope with all the things she just told us.

"Before you start asking me the things I know you're going to, I just want to address this illness the girls are experiencing."

Vanessa squeezed my hand and I squeezed back. It was nice to feel connected to her amidst all these outrageous stories.

"Vanessa, as far as I can tell you are experiencing a siren's response to a male heir. Which means you are pregnant, but you will miscarry within the next couple of days. I'm really sorry, honey."

Vanessa sighed deeply and to me it almost sounded relieved. "At least I won't be tied to Jacob for the rest of my life."

"No and the story he fed you about imprinting on you, it's a load of bull."

"What?"

"Imprinting doesn't happen to every shape shifter. It happened to Sam because he was the first of the pack to imprint. Because Jacob is the descendant of the true pack leader they wanted to make sure he fathered a son as soon as possible after his change. I know it sounds probably rather twisted, but it's the way things were done for centuries."

"So, he just slept with me to knock me up?"

"In short, yes."

"Okay. That explains his behavior of this morning."

Gran made a face that indicated it wasn't quite like that. "Well, shape shifters have a very strong sense of smell, which is why they know almost instantly that a woman is pregnant. It saves them a lot of time and effort in the procreating process. But the down side of this is that they also smell when a woman is likely to miscarry. I suspect he may have smelled that something was different about you than a normal human girl and combined with knowing you would miscarry.... Well the combination is what caused him to pull that far back."

"Okay. Well, I can live with that, I think. I just hope this pain will stop soon."

"It will, just hold on for a few days."

Gran then turned to me and smiled, but it was tight lipped and her eyes showed that she was feeling sorry for me.

"Just tell me the truth, Gran," I murmured.

"Your body is changing from Edward's venom, but because it wasn't as much as would be in your bloodstream if he had bitten you, it is going to take a lot longer for you to change. You'll suffer for nearly three weeks if we can't get more venom into your systems."

"We can do that," Edward said softly.

I smiled at him, comforted by the notion that he was there.

"You can try, but since her body is already changing, it's not unlikely that you wouldn't be able to break her skin to get the venom into her."

The room fell silent then, none of us really knowing what to say or do. I knew that everyone wanted to ask Gran questions, but I also knew that I wasn't up to it.

"Could you go to the living room to talk some more, please? I would really like some time alone with Edward to talk about what we're going to do," I whispered.

I received a rushed couple of hugs and then the room was empty save for me and Edward. He lay down beside me and gently cradled me in his arms, his smooth cool lips softly trailing kisses along my jaw and neck. It felt heavenly against my burning skin.

"Edward, I would like you to try and get more venom into my system. I know it will be too difficult for you to taste me and stop, but maybe there is another way?"

"Like what, Bella? It's not like I can put some venom in a syringe and inject it into you."

"Why not?"

"The plastic would disintegrate from the venom."

"But the needle wouldn't?"

"No, because steel is strong enough to withstand it for a longer period of time. Eventually it will also give, but it holds up a lot longer."

"Well, can you find a steel syringe and inject it?"

"We can try that. I will ask for our friends in Alaska to bring one when they come here. They said they would be leaving tomorrow morning. They can stop somewhere along the way to get a steel syringe."

"Okay, then go and call them and maybe ask them to bring a few, in case one doesn't last long enough."

"I will do that in a minute, love. Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"No, I just need to sleep. My body is fighting your venom so hard I can hardly keep my eyes open."

"Then sleep, my love. When you wake up we'll have the syringe and hopefully we can speed this process along a bit."

"Will you stay with my until I fall asleep?"

"Where else would I be?"

"In the living room, getting all crazy scientist with my miraculous grandmother."

"Darling, you forget that I can hear every single thing they are saying and thinking. It's a win win for me."

I smiled weakly before finally giving in and allowing myself to succumb to sleep.

**Edward's pov**

Within seconds Bella's entire body relaxed against me and I heard her heart rate even out and her breathing become steady. If she was out this quickly, she must have been on the brink of toppling over. I once again felt guilty for not properly anticipating her needs.

With Bella nestled safely in my arms, I pulled my cell from my pocket and called Tanya. I didn't waste much time on pleasantries, instead choosing to ask her for this favor. She didn't ask questions, which I was grateful for, but I did anticipate a lengthy discussion when she was to arrive here.

Despite the fact that I had made it very clear that we were through, I worried she may try to push Bella from my life and I was determined to prevent that from ever happening. I thought about meeting Tanya a little ways from the house, but that would only make it look worse if Bella ever found out. No, I would have to tell Bella everything.

I should have done that right away, but I kept putting it off, for fear of Bella's reaction. I knew it wasn't reasonable of me, but I was afraid nonetheless.

About an hour after Bella had fallen asleep, Alice came in. She was so excited to talk to the Oracle. She had finally found someone who knew what her gift was like and how frustrating it could get when she got things wrong. I think it really helped her ease her worries over not seeing Bella clearly.

"The minister that was supposed to marry you today, can reschedule for tomorrow at five. Do you still want to do this? If you do you'll be married before Tanya arrives."

"Does that make my conversation with Bella any easier?"

"I'm not sure. I think she'll be reasonable enough, but you should tell her before they arrive, maybe even before you get married. She shouldn't be blindsided by this."

"I know. I'll tell her when she wakes up what to expect when Tanya and the rest of her clan arrive. Then I'll explain about the wedding and see if she's still willing to go through with it."

"She'll at least be feeling a bit better for a while. So she'll be okay to get married, health wise."

"Thanks, Al. I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know what I would have done if this had happened without you and Esme here to help us in the first place. I was pretty much flying blind."

"Well, the family is back together and we've got a few days before the wolves arrive. In the mean time we've got enough to talk about, don't we?"

"We sure do. I was surprised when she so readily called Aro a fool. I never realized that changing talented humans would interfere with her work."

"If Aro were to ever find out about the girls we might have a bigger problem than the wolves on our hands," Alice said solemnly.

In her mind I could see what she imagined would happen and I instinctively recoiled from the idea of Aro getting his hands on either one of the girls. "Let's try to make sure they don't find you, shall we?"

"For now they are fine."

I nodded, while I looked down at my sleeping angel. Every time I watched her while she slept I was struck by how small and fragile she seemed in those unguarded moments while she was strong and steady when she was awake. I would miss seeing this side of her once the change was completed.

"It's strange, she's still so unclear to me."

"Why do you think that it?"

"I don't know. Maybe because of the unconventional way this transformation is going?"

"Maybe."

We were quiet for a few minutes and then suddenly both me and Alice remembered Gran's earlier words 'You, my dear, are going to be one of a kind when it's all over'.

She didn't tell us everything, Alice told me in her thoughts.

I nodded.

I have a feeling she already knows that we can't put additional venom into Bella's system and something will be different about this change.

"I think so too," I murmured.

But what will happen?"

"I don't know. I've talked about it with Bella and we're going to try and push more venom into her using a steel syringe. Maybe her skin will still be weak enough for the needle to push through."

"Our teeth are sharper."

"I know, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stop."

"Carlisle could do it."

"I don't think Bella would want that. She's stubborn when she's put her mind to something."

"I guess we'll have to wait and see then."

I nodded again. Alice sat at the end of the bed and stared off into space. She was going over the things we needed to prepare for with the wedding, Bella's change, the fight. Underneath all of her rigorous planning there was a deep fear that something unforeseen may happen and things wouldn't end up like she had seen it.

I tried to block her out and just stay in my own head, but some of her fears made my own surge within me. I was not entirely sure things were going to end well for me and Bella, but I would have to try and stay positive, if only so that I could reassure Bella when she needed me to.

Bella woke up somewhere mid morning and she looked nearly radiant compare to the previous day. She told me she felt a lot better too. Vanessa had shown similar improvement, so in the morning we were all gathered in the dining room and while the humans ate, the rest of us talked to the Oracle some more.

I smiled when I realized we all had taken to calling her Gran and she seemed delighted in hearing it. It was almost like we were one big, albeit somewhat odd, family. It made me feel a lot more positive than I had during the night.

After breakfast, I took Bella outside so she could get some fresh air and I could explain about Tanya and what had happened between us prior to my moving to Forks. After I was done talking I kept my eyes glued to the tips of her shoes, scared that she would reject me, tell me to leave, but those words never came.

Instead, Bella placed her soft, hot hands on the side of my face and forced me to look into her eyes.

"Edward, she was your first?"

"Yes."

"And you are over a hundred years old, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then why do you seem afraid I might freak out?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you're acting as if having had one sexual relationship in over a hundred years is cause for me to throw a hissyfit and send you packing. It's okay, I promise. What matters to me most is that you fell in love with me. You chose to be with me, despite all the problems that has caused you. And I couldn't love you more for that. So what if there is some ex-girlfriend of yours coming over. If you had been a human man of roughly my age, it would be more than likely that there were not one but a couple of exes walking around. Really, don't stress out about it."

"So, you're not mad at me?"

"No."

"And you still want to marry me this afternoon?"

"Yes. If I hadn't been so out of it yesterday, I would have married you then."

I took her in my arms and kissed her with as much force as I dared to. Her scent had changed even more over the last twenty four hours and it was only becoming more and more alluring to me. Not in the bloodlust sense, but in the 'normal' lust sense. I wanted to feel her around me again. I wanted to make her cum again.

I felt my dick grow hard against her belly just thinking about it and the sudden thickness of Bella's smell indicated that she too was thinking about our time together.

"I can't wait for this change to be done," she murmured into my neck.

"Me too, love. I want to make love to you properly."

"Do you think my not quite human state before the change was the reason for the intensity of our love making?"

"It might have been. If I wouldn't feel like it was invading both out privacies I would have asked Carlisle or Gran about it. But as it is, it would be a little too embarrassing."

"Thank you for not doing that. I would have been mortified."

"I know, love. Me too. No matter how close I am to Carlisle, this is one department I wish to keep private. We'll see how things go after your change."

Bella looked up at me and gave me a devious smirk. "Until then we can help release some of the tension in other ways, right?"

I grinned down at her and captured those sultry lips in another kiss. I would certainly do my best to relieve her tension, while we were out of earshot from our combined family.

Bella moaned as my fingers found the buttons on her jeans and I swiftly tugged them open so I could snake my hands into her panties. Her body was still overheated from my venom slowly changing her, which made me shiver in response because it felt like an open fire licked across my skin. It was the most delicious torture I had ever endured.

With soft, but quick movements, I slid two fingers into her wet heat and started pumping them in and out within the confined space of her pants. Bella clasped her arms around my neck and held on tight, her mouth pressed tightly against the skin of my neck to muffle her moans and whimpers.

She ran her fingers from one hand roughly through my hair and I could sense she had gained a little strength over the past two days, because I could actually feel the tugging quite well now. I pumped my fingers faster in return and started murmuring dirty little words into her ear, making her squirm even more against me.

After only a few minutes, I could feel her tighten around my fingers and then her climax took over and I relished the rhythmic pulsing of her walls around my fingers and her muffled cries against my skin. Feeling Bella cum around me fingers was a good second to being inside her and it was the best we could do for the moment.

Bella offered to reciprocate, but I told her not to worry about it. She must have been beat, because she didn't fight me on it. She simply allowed me to carry her back to the house and to our bed.

She slept for a few more hours and woke just in time for Alice to get her ready for our small wedding. Where Alice managed to get a dress from was beyond me, but she did and what mattered more was that Bella loved it and was happy to wear it.

So I was sent downstairs to change into my tuxedo while the women went upstairs to help my beloved get ready. I was so focused on the happy occasion ahead of us that I didn't register her thoughts until she was inside the house and staring me right in the face.

Tanya had arrived early.

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_A/N: Hi guys! I am truly sorry for keeping you waiting, but I have been having trouble getting any usable chapters from my fingers. After taking a short break, I now seem to have gotten into the flow again and am writing as quickly as possible to make up for the long wait._

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will let me know what you thought._

_A big thank you to everyone who's still with me and reads this story. Any and all of you are truly appreciated._

_Love,_

_Mo_


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: All Twilight rights belong to Mrs. Meyer. I'm just playing around with her characters.

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Chapter Twelve

**Tanya's pov**

I'll be the first to admit that I had expected a more friendly welcome from Edward when I arrived well before I had told him I would. I simply couldn't help it. When we got the news that the Cullens needed our help, I had raced as fast as my feet would carry me, excited to see them all again, but Edward most of all. I had hoped that he had changed his mind and wanted to give us another chance, but one look on his face as I stood before him and I knew enough. He was anything but excited to see me here earlier than expected.

"Edward, what's with the scowl? Aren't you going to give me a hug?" I asked him with a smirk, hoping my teasing would lessen his tension.

"Uh…no…I-I don't think…" he trailed off as soft footfalls sounded on the stairs.

I smelled the most alluring smell I had ever encountered as a frail looking girl slowly walked down the stairs, her chocolate coloured eyes riveted on Edward. I blinked in surprise when I noted that she was wearing a simple wedding dress that made her look almost ethereal.

I turned back to my former lover and sucked in a sharp breath as I saw the naked love radiating from his face. He didn't even acknowledge my thoughts that must have displayed my utter shock. As I watched he stepped forward and softly took her into his arms, burying his face into her neck and inhaling deeply.

I couldn't fathom being able to stand the closeness, but he didn't even seem to notice. I looked around the house, not wanting to intrude on this obviously intimate moment, and only then did I realize what I had unintentionally walked in on. These two were getting married. But how was that even possible?

Edward had left me only a few weeks prior, could he seriously be this deeply in love with this girl already? I knew the answer, but it was hard for me to stomach. Here I was, hoping that maybe Edward and I could pick up where we had left off, but instead I find him head over heels with a human girl.

In spite of my own disgruntled feelings, I was happy for him. He had found the kind of happiness I had only been able to dream of. So maybe, if Edward had found his true mate, I still had a shot at finding mine.

An instant later Esme walked in with a sympathetic smile on her face. "Tanya, this is such a surprise. Will you stay for the wedding?"

"Yes, of course. I have the syringes you asked for," I added as an after thought, digging them up from the bottom of the tote bag I had been carrying.

Esme took them with a smile. "The rest of the family is excited to see you. Come and greet them."

I nodded and followed her after one last quick glance at Edward and his bride to be. Alice and Jasper were fussing with the decoration in the living room, while Rosalie and Emmett were talking animatedly to a girl that looked enough like Edward's bride to be her sister. When I stepped into the living room, Rose excused herself and came over to hug me.

"Tanya, it's been too long. How are you?"

"Surprised," I muttered, feeling like the situation was slipping from my grasp and there wasn't anything I could do about it.

"I can only imagine. We all were, to be honest."

"Can you tell me what happened, because right now I fell like I've missed years of your lives instead of just over a year. Or in Edward's case a couple of weeks."

Rosalie sighed, her eyes weary. "What do you want to hear, Tanya? That he'll change his mind and come back to you? Because he won't."

"Whoa! Settle down. I didn't say anything like that, okay? I'm just a bit overwhelmed to find out he's getting married to a human girl and you're all okay with it, despite the fact that there is a large pack of shape shifters out for your heads."

Carlisle joined us then and put a hand on my shoulder. He gently guided me into the kitchen area. It was free of other people and I finally felt like I could draw another breath. I could feel my tension slipping and knew Jasper helped with it, but I couldn't find my voice to tell him to lay off.

"Tanya, as you've gathered things have changed severely for us. We intended to inform you along with the rest of your family when you arrived tonight, but since you're already here, I might as well give you the information we have."

He then started the story of Edward meeting Bella and how quickly they both had fallen in love. He told me how Bella and her twin sister Vanessa weren't human, but a mixed breed. Every new bit of information threw me for another loop and by the time Carlisle finished speaking I was stunned into silence.

Part of me rebelled against everything he just told me. I couldn't wrap my mind around different dimensions, creatures that we thought belonged to fairy tales being real. It was all a bit too much for me and I wasn't so sure I wanted to stay anymore.

"Tanya, I don't think we need to fight the wolves. Bella is changing, but Edward never bit her. We're going to try and inject more venom into her after the wedding, which means we can change her without having to bite, which means we never broke the treaty. But in order to get the wolves to listen., we need to have an impressive amount of vampires backing us up. If we get them to hesitate long enough, I think we'll have a chance at reasoning with them."

I nodded slowly, seeing his point, but still feeling uneasy about it. "I won't promise you anything, Carlisle. I will discuss this with my family and see what they want to do."

"That's all I can ask of you, Tanya. Do you still wish to stay for the wedding? I think we all understand if you'd rather not."

I thought about it for a moment and instantly my mind flooded with memories of my friendship with Edward over the years. I knew his friendship was more important than the pang of jealousy I felt towards the girl. I would be a good friend to him and be here to wish him all the happiness in the world with his new wife.

"I'll stay. If you don't mind I will call the family and give them a heads up about the new developments, though."

"By all means. If you think that's better, then please do."

I smiled at him, feeling the sudden need to be comforted for just a moment. Something in Carlisle's gaze shifted and with an indulgent smile he held his arms open for me. I stepped into his embrace feeling oddly vulnerable. His warm parental hug was exactly what I had been needing.

I savoured the moment for a few minutes before I stepped away and excused myself to go and call my family. Because I didn't want the Cullens and their new additions to hear me, I walked deep into the encroaching forest. When I felt I was far enough out of earshot I dialled Kate's cell.

The phone rang once, twice and then it was plucked out of my hands. I whirled around and faced a young looking boy with tanned skin, dark eyes and nearly black hair. He was dressed in a pair of short and nothing else, which was strange for this type of weather. I could see that he was trembling slightly, his shoulders bunched together in an effort to control the tremors.

"Give me my phone," I hissed through clenched teeth.

He shook his head slowly and then proceeded to throw my phone deep into the trees.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" I screeched.

As I inhaled deeply to yell at him some more I nearly choked on the tangy smell that came off of him.

"You're not human," I muttered too low for any human to hear.

"No, I'm not," he whispered.

I was struck by the vulnerability in his voice and I nearly buckled under the intense sadness that I could see in his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Seth Clearwater."

"What are you?"

"Shape shifter."

It took me a tenth of a second to scramble backwards and run from him. I ran without focusing and to my horror I noted I was running away from the house instead of towards it. Behind me I could hear his agonized cry that ended in a deep rumbling growl. Heavy feet pounded the ground behind me and I pushed myself to run faster.

It was no use, he was gaining ground on me. On instinct, I skidded to a stop and turned around, fully intending to fight him until my last moment. To my amazement the huge wolf stopped at the edge of the small clearing I was in, panting heavily, but not advancing.

I was still crouched in a defensive pose, not daring to trust this creature just yet. The wolf shook his head restlessly and before my very eyes he righted himself and morphed back into his human form. I swallowed thickly as I took in his exquisite naked form. My eyes wandered over his chest and face until they finally landed on his eyes.

This time when I looked at him I felt my world shift on it's axes. I felt a heat spread through me that I had never felt before and it almost felt as if my heart were soaring, even though it had been dead for centuries.

The boy fell forward, a tear streaking down his face while his eyes were drinking me in hungrily. I had no idea what was going on, but I felt this inexplicable pull towards him and I couldn't stop my legs from carrying me forward.

I fell to my knees half a foot away from him and simply stared at him.

"What's your name?" he breathed in a broken whimper.

"Tanya Denali."

He gently touched his hand to my cheek, making me gasp at the scorching heat coming off of him. In the back of my mind I noted that he no longer smelled repulsive to me, but instead his heavy scent made me want to feel him closer to me.

"What's happening?" I asked in a ridiculously breathy tone.

"I think this is what my kind would call imprinting."

"What?"

"I'll tell you all of it later, I promise. Just please let me hold you, if only for one minute."

I swallowed again and nodded. Even for my vampire eyes he moved fast and before I could blink his arms were around me, his heat enveloping me completely. My own hands migrated to his hair, feeling it's silky smoothness between them for the first time and I couldn't imagine anything feeling better.

The moment was entirely surreal and yet it felt so right. I felt his hands slide down my back until his hands reached my rump and he pulled me closer to him, letting me feel just how affected he was.

I moaned softly at the thought of his body filling me. A wave of heat crashed over me and I felt myself getting aroused. Seth inhaled deeply, a deep groan ripping from his throat as he thrust his hips into me.

"Damn it, I want you," he growled into my ear.

"What's stopping you?"

"I don't think you'll appreciate me fucking you right here."

I pulled away and smirked at him. "You shouldn't assume things, Seth."

He gaze scanned my face, his eyes pitch black with desire, searching for permission I presumed. I made the decision for him by pressing my lips to his and gently nipping his bottom lip. He hissed into my mouth and squeezed my flesh even harder. God, he felt better now, with all of my clothes still on, than any lover ever had while fully sheathed inside me.

Seth growled again as he ripped my shirt from me. His eyes flashed as he looked down at my chest. I felt a new wave of heat rushing over me and it was all I could do not to whimper my need.

"Seth, touch me, please," I begged.

He reached out a hand and cupped one of my lace covered breasts, his body heat making me feel like I was on fire.

"My god, you're exquisite," he murmured.

"Seth, please."

He looked up, but not at me. Instead he seemed to stare off into space as he sniffed the air. In a swift movement he had his pants back on and my shredded shirt draped over my nakedness as much as possible.

"We need to leave," he said urgently.

"What? What's wrong."

"Smell the air, my love."

I did as he asked me, but couldn't discern any smell other than his.

"I just smell you."

"Try again. It's faint, but it's there."

I inhaled one more time and this time I could sense a faint undercurrent of a scent more pungent than Seth's.

"What's that?"

"The pack from La Push. They're heading our way and they're approaching fast. We need to warn the Cullens."

"But Edward and Bella are getting married. We can't crash their wedding with this news."

"They'll be here in about thirty six hours, I think. We can let Edward and Bella have their wedding before we tell them."

"Okay. Let's go then."

"Wait, Tanya. I can't go with you."

"Yes you can. They'll understand, trust me."

"I don't want them to take my presence the wrong way, my love."

"Seth, trust me, they will be okay with you being there."

He hesitated for another second, but I felt antsy to get out of there and back with m family and friends.

"Seth, let's go!"

He tensed at the same time that I registered Alice and Jasper's scents drifting towards us.

"Tanya!" Alice yelled frantically.

"Alice, I'm here," I called back in an even tone as I stepped away from Seth.

Alice and Jasper came tearing through the last of the trees and nearly toppled over each other as they froze when they saw us.

"You're okay?" Alice asked breathlessly.

"Yes. I'm fine."

Jasper snickered as he felt he atmosphere around me and Seth. "Al, I think she's more than fine."

"What?" she asked, still looking completely baffled.

"Al, they're in love."

I hadn't realized that it was love, but hearing Jasper say it out loud felt exactly right, yet like it wasn't enough.

"They're what?" Alice asked, golden eyes wide in wonder.

"In love. More, actually. I only feel this kind of love from mated vampires."

Seth carefully wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his head on my shoulder. "I suppose imprinting for us is as strong as a vampire finding it's true mate," he whispered.

"So this imprinting you mentioned is in fact you falling in love with me at first sight?" I asked him quietly, feeling utterly blissful with him wrapped around me.

"In a way, yes. The bond is permanent, though."

"That's good, since I am kind of permanent."

"Well that works out perfectly doesn't it?" he laughed quietly.

"But wait a minute, don't you age and eventually die?"

Seth chuckled behind me. "I can see you won't ever spare my feelings. But to answer your question, no. As long as I phase regularly I won't age after a few years. I would remain the physical age of around twenty five forever."

His words made me think of something else. "How old are you, by the way?"

He sighed heavily. "You sure you want to know?"

"Yes, of course."

"Seventeen."

"What?" I turned in his arms and stared up at him in shock.

He didn't look seventeen, he looked to be about twenty, maybe twenty one.

"Officially I'm seventeen, but when we start phasing we grow a lot faster physically. I think my body's about twenty-two now."

"Gah! Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god, I'm officially a cradle robber now!" I cried, causing Alice and Jasper to start giggling.

"What?" I snapped.

"Tanya," Jasper gasped in between laughter. "You and I and Edward and Carlisle are all cradle robbers when you look at he age differences between us and our mates. I'd like to see you try and find someone who wouldn't be considered too young."

Seth chuckled softly, but I could tell he was relieved that Jasper seemed to think that way. He smiled sweetly at me and dipped his head to give me a soft kiss. "I love you, no matter how many decades you may have on me."

"Even if it's centuries?"

"Yes, because if you hadn't been a vampire, I would have never found my truest of true loves."

"I love you too. And I think I'll get over the age thing."

"Aaaw," Alice cooed. "You two are so cute together! I can't wait for the others to find out. With all the crazy that we've seen so far, this just puts the cherry on top."

Seth grinned down at me. "I guess you were right about them," he said to me. "Alice, Jasper, do you think Edward and Bella would mind another guest at their wedding?"

"No, of course not. I think they'll both be thrilled that you and Tanya have found each other."

I wanted to snark back about me getting off Edward's back, but decided I didn't need to say stuff like that. I was happy I met Seth and that what I had once thought was love for Edward had been proven to be mere infatuation.

Besides, I wasn't nearly ready for Seth to know my sordid past just yet. I would have to build up to that.

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_A/N: Lol. I had so much fun writing this chapter. I know most of us would have expected and maybe wanted bitchy Tanya to come out, but she even surprised me. The chapter just took me into it's own direction, and I totally loved it. I know there have been soem major plot twists over the past few chapters, but I promise things are getting into a little more steady flow from here on out. I'm not done with all the twists yet, but you'll just have to wait and see ;)._

_Next chapter will be Edward and Bella's wedding and I'm really looking forward to writing that._

_Let me know what you thought of this little insight to Tanya's psyche and the way things are developing._

_I love you all greatly and hope to see you again next chapter._

_Hugs,_

_Mo_


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: All Twilight related characters and ideas belong to Stephenie Meyer.**

**It's been ages since I last updated and I'm sorry. If you want to know the reasons, read the author's note below. I hope you will enjoy this chapter, even though it's a little on the short side.**

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Chapter Thirteen

**Bella's pov**

I walked down the stairs towards my almost husband and hardly even noted the presence of the beautiful female vampire beside him. All I had eyes for, was my Edward and the way his entire face lit up as he saw me walking towards him.

I couldn't even find it in me to introduce myself when he opened his arms for me. I merely floated into them and nestled myself against his chest. Edward hummed happily into my hair as he swayed us both a little from side to side. I was completely lost in him and didn't register anything else going on around us, even though I knew there must have been quite some activity.

When I looked up a few minutes later, the female, who I presumed to be Tanya, had left us alone. Why had Edward been so scared to tell me about her? If she had been as aggressive in her pursuit as he had thought her to be, wouldn't she have tried to stir up some drama?

"Edward?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, love?"

"Was that Tanya?"

"Yes."

"Where did she go?"

"Hmmm...She left just a few minutes ago with Esme to greet the others and she's now talking to Carlisle. He's explaining our situation to her."

"Is she okay? I mean, will it be okay for us to have her here?"

"I'm surprised to find myself saying this, but I think it will be just fine. She seems to understand that what we have is pure love. She wants me to be happy, even if it's not with her."

"Does she love you that much?" I asked, rather shocked that he hadn't told me that part.

"No, but she thinks she loves me. Tanya has never had more than a sexual relationship or a friendly one. With me it was the first time she mixed the two and I think that's why she thought it was love."

"Okay, I can live with that. Is she staying for the wedding?"

Edward smirked at me. "I'm beginning to think you might know exactly what's begin said in the kitchen. Carlisle just told her she wasn't obligated, but she wants to stay to wish us well. She's going to call her family first though, so we have a little while before she's back."

I relaxed a little more at that. Although I didn't exactly feel threatened by her, her being here didn't make me feel completely comfortable either. A short while with just the family would be absolutely perfect.

Edward kissed me softly. "I love you, Bella and I cannot wait to call you my wife. Do you want to sit with the family until the minister gets here?"

"I would love that."

He guided me into the living room where the entire family was gathered around, talking quietly. I sat down beside Esme and leaned my head on her shoulder.

"Hello, my beautiful daughter," she whispered.

"Hello, mom," I whispered back with a smile on my face.

"You know, you are even more a daughter to me than Rose or Alice? It sounds a bit crazy, I'm sure, but it feels like you are truly meant to be with us."

"Thank you, Esme. I'm just really happy that Edward and I aren't forced to live apart from you any more. It would have killed him to have to stay away."

"It would have killed us all, Bella. But I'm sure there will never be a need for that again."

"I just hope things with the wolves won't get too far out of hand. I want everyone to remain safe."

"Did Carlisle tell you why we haven't broken the treaty?"

"Yes. He explained some of it to me and I understand he is just trying to gather enough troops so the wolves won't charge right away, but will listen to reason."

Esme nodded, her eyes locked on Carlisle's. I hoped Edward and I would still look at each other like that eighty some years after today.

As if he had heard my thoughts, he came over to where Esme and I sat cuddled on the couch and squatted down in front of me.

"The minister will be here in half an hour. Are you still up for it?"

"Of course I am, you crazy man. I love you."

"I love you too. But I meant, physically. If you're not feeling well, please tell me, okay?"

"I will, Edward. I promise."

"Good. I'm just going to talk to Carlisle about injecting my venom. We still need to figure out an easy way to do this without having to resort to biting you."

"Go and be a scientist. I'll wait for the verdict right here, if you don't mind."

Edward and Carlisle disappeared into the kitchen with Charlie, where undoubtedly the three of them would discuss all possible outcomes of this plan. I caught Gran's eye and she gave me a small smile and a wink. I smiled back, shaking my head. The old woman was a hoot and a half. She knew exactly what would be happening and yet she didn't elaborate on it. All she did was tell me I would be unique.

All of a sudden Alice gasped and jumped to her feet. "I can't see Tanya anymore!" she yelled out. Jasper was at her side in the next second and they were out the door before the rest of us even had a chance to respond.

"What the hell just happened?" Vanessa asked, looking utterly baffled by their speed.

"Alice loses sight of those around her when something happens to them or when there are any shape shifters near the one she's trying to see," Rosalie explained, her worried glance stuck to the door where Alice and Jasper just left through.

"What if there are wolves?" Emmett asked, sounding more tense than usual.

"I'm sure Alice and Jasper will be able to get back here before anything happens," Rosalie tried to soothe him, but she seemed no less tense.

"Guys, don't you need to go out there and help them?" I asked, scooting forward on the sofa.

"If they need us, they'll let us know."

I stared at them in shock. Alice had been panicked about losing sight of Tanya, but no one but her and Jasper had gone to find her. Even Edward didn't emerge from the kitchen. It wasn't until I realized that Gran was sitting back in a completely relaxed pose with a smirk playing around her lips that I realized she was the reason no one moved. They all trusted her to warn them when they were needed.

I wanted to ask them how they could trust her so easily, but decided against it. I would talk to Edward about that when things had finally settled down enough for us to relax again. I didn't really want to bother with it when I had so much more urgent matters to consider. First being the burning in my gut that had subsided a little after I woke up this morning, but was now flaring up and spreading to my legs.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Esme whispered as she placed a hand over my forehead. "It feels like you're burning up."

"It's like I'm having hot flashes or something. It comes and goes today," I said, attempting to reassure her somewhat.

"I'll get you something to drink."

I smiled my thanks as she got up to get me something from the kitchen. Edward peaked around the corner, mouthing 'Are you okay?'.

I smiled and nodded. I didn't want him to get all stressed out and cancel the wedding again. Well, that wasn't going to happen on my watch. Not with Tanya hovering close by.

It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes since Alice and Jasper had left when the whole Cullen family seemed to growl at the same time. Alice came flitting through the door with the goofiest smile on her face I had seen so far.

"Oh settle down, all of you!" she scolded her family. "Tanya has some interesting news to share with you and I want you all to keep an open mind."

Edward came over to me and lifted me into his lap. I wasn't sure whether it was to keep me safe or to restrain himself from doing something foolish. I decided it didn't matter, at least I got to feel him wrapped around me and that was always good.

Tanya quietly stepped into the room and it was the first time I had the chance to really look at her. My god, how could Edward have chosen me over her? She was as beautiful as Rose, if not more so because she didn't seem to have the same cool look about her as Rosalie did. I felt myself getting far more insecure than I had been ever since I met Edward and I didn't like it one bit.

It wasn't until Tanya started explaining what happened out in the woods with Seth Clearwater that I started to relax again. Vanessa had grabbed my hand when Tanya told us Seth had imprinted on her and I quickly looked over to see if she was okay. I could tell from her eyes that she was hurting because Jacob had used something so pure to tempt Vanessa into a relationship she didn't want.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to her.

"Yeah. It's just... Look at her... She's glowing! If Jacob had really imprinted on me, it would have been the same for me. I guess I'm a bit jealous."

I threw my arm around her shoulder and squeezed to show my sympathy while Tanya pleaded with us to let Seth stay with us for the wedding. He had even offered to give us inside information about the pack.

Edward kissed my neck and I could feel him smile against my skin.

"What is it Edward?" I asked him quietly.

"She's so adorable in her mind. She's completely flustered that Seth's only seventeen while she's over a century old. It made me think about our age difference and in a human to human sense it's kind of revolting."

"And this makes you smile?"

"No, what makes me smile is that she is so hopelessly in love with this boy. It's good to know that she knows the difference between what she and I had and what she has with him now."

"Yeah, I suppose that is nice to know. So should we put her out of her spluttering misery?"

"You do it, love."

I turned back to Tanya who was still talking everyone's ear off. "Tanya?" I interrupted her rambling.

"Yes, Bella?"

"Why don't you invite Seth in and you two can clean up before the minister gets here. I think I may have a shirt you could wear and I hope Edward or the boys have something that will fit Seth."

Her entire body relaxed after I spoke and her smile was almost blinding. "Oh, thank you so, so much," she gushed. "Where can we change?"

"Come on, I'll show you two upstairs," I said as I gathered my strength and stood on slightly wobbly legs.

"Are you okay?" Tanya asked just as I felt Edward's hands settle on my hips to steady me.

"It's Edward venom. It's making me a bit unsteady. We hope we can inject some more after the wedding so that my change will be quicker. But I'm good to go now."

She turned to the door and called Seth in. When he stepped inside I noticed the vampires cringe a little. I looked to Edward for an explanation, but he just chuckled and shook his head. I guess this was another one of those 'I'll explain later when no one can hear me' things.

Tanya hooked her arm through mine as if we had been life long friends, but from the look that passed between her and Edward I knew she only did it so I had someone to hold onto as we climbed the stairs.

"Are you completely sure you're okay with letting us stay?" she asked when we were upstairs, looking for a shirt for her to wear.

"Positive."

**Edward's pov**

I had hesitated whether or not to let her go as Bella swayed on her feet, but Tanya had seen my worry and taken it away by taking Bella's arm. It was odd to see my ex-lover and my soon-to-be-wife walking up the stairs together, a weary Seth trailing behind them. Would they ever become friends? I thought it was unlikely, but then again, Bella had managed to keep me guessing at every turn.

I heard the interaction upstairs and with every passing second I grew prouder of Bella. She handled Tanya's presence beautifully and it was more than a little awe inspiring to realize that she was doing all this while my venom was slowly changing her.

I glanced at Gran for a moment who smiled at me and thought. _She's a good one, Edward and the two of you together will be an example for all those around you. It's amazing how something that was never supposed to happen in the beginning, is turning out so well in the end._

I wanted to ask her what she had meant by that, but I was unable to do so because of our family around us and the wedding that was supposed to start in only a short while.

The ringing of the doorbell saved me from going stir crazy and I jumped at the chance to welcome the minister in. He was surprised by how young I looked and his thoughts turned into a sour and cynical spin. He was expecting to see a pregnant bride and a group of rednecks, little did he know that the evil he was thinking of, was not even close to the demons he really was heading for.

"Welcome, minister. Please, come in, we're already set up in the living room," I said as confidently and politely as possible while he started calling me names in his head.

"Young man, are you sure you are old enough to marry?" he asked as he walked past me.

"Yes, sir. Me and my bride to be are both eighteen. If it would ease your mind, both our families are here and they are very supportive."

He frowned, but his mindset became a little milder. As he entered the room he rocked back on his heels when he took in the beauty of it's occupants and their obviously polished behavior. I didn't know who was more surprised, the minister who was suddenly very aware of all the women in the house, or me when this minister who had so chastised me in his mind for being a pervert, began picturing himself naked in the midst of the female half of the guests.

I growled low in my throat and he jumped in surprise. "Well are you and the bride ready to start?"

"I am, but I have to ask someone to go check if the bride is."

Charlie had heard our tense conversation and came up to us. He shook the minister's hand calmly and gave him a small smile. "I am the father of the bride. I'll just go up to get her."

Father Dowe, as I soon discovered his name was, was not a very patient man and I fought hard not to laugh when he huffed and puffed and checked his watch not two minutes in. With my excellent hearing I knew that Charlie had taken the opportunity to tell Bella how proud he was of her and how much he loved her and I knew that they were already heading towards the stairs.

Alice turned on the music just as I heard their feet hit the ground in the hallway. I smiled in anticipation.

It didn't matter that I had already seen Bella in her beautiful wedding gown, I was still left breathless when she all but floated towards me. The smile on her face was radiant and I could feel it all the way to my bones.

My dead heart seemed to drum in my ears and my eyes only saw her.

Charlie placed her burning hot palm in mine and patted my shoulder. From his muffled thoughts I could only make out pride and contentment and I was glad he felt that way.

The standard part of the ceremony seemed to fly by while I was drowning in the sight of Bella before me, but when the time came for the vows we had written ourselves, time came to a halt and every minute became a crystal clear eternal moment.

Everything about Bella, from the different hues in her dark hair, to her deep chocolate eyes to her joyful smile would be burned into my memory forever as I spoke the words I had been dying to say.

"My beautiful, blushing Bella. From the very first moment I spotted you in our meadow back home, I knew my life was forever altered. My world had shifted and turned until it was settled in a completely new angle that I was not aware of before it happened. With every breath you take, you give me hope for a brighter future. With every heartbeat, you make my world a better place. My heart expands each day to fit in more love than it did the day before and all of it is reserved for you, my love. The bond we form today will only serve to bring us closer together and strengthen our ties. I promise to love you until the day the earth stops turning and one day beyond."

Bella was crying when I took the ring from Emmett who was standing beside us. "With this ring I seal my fate and put it completely and irrevocably in your hands. I entrust you with all that I am and hope you will do the same with me."

As the ring slid around her slender finger my world seemed to shift one last little nudge and everything was perfect.

Bella wiped her tears away and drew in a deep breath before she started speaking. "My Edward, my strong and trustful friend, my savior, my love. When we first talked over the summer I thought I was dreaming. Surely a boy as handsome and wonderful could not exist, but I was proven wrong when we met again. I never believed in love at first sight because the thought of instantly losing control scared me. Meeting you has proven to me that it's nothing to be scared of, instead it's something to hold dear to your heart."

She sighed and smiled at me. "The world we're facing is full of dangers I don't even know the half of, but with you at my side I know I can fight any battle and win any war, because our love is stronger than any enemy and lasts longer than time itself. Edward, I love you, more than words can express and I trust you to take care of my heart and soul, because they are all yours now."

I felt the ring as she slid it on my finger and stared at it, transfixed by the way our hands looked with both our wedding rings in place.

"With this ring I seal my fate and put it completely and irrevocably in your hands. I entrust you with all that I am and hope you will do the same with me."

The minister cleared his throat before he straightened his shoulders and proudly pronounced us man and wife. Even in his thoughts he had done a full one eighty. I smiled a little, knowing that we gave him some hope.

When I got my permission to kiss my wife, I immediately pulled her into my arms and pressed my lips to hers, drinking in my first taste of her as my wife.

It was divine.

I pulled away when Emmett started whistling and Alice came bouncing up to us to give her congratulations. Bella smiled up at me and said: "Sorry mine was so much longer than yours."

"You silly girl, why would that bother me?"

"Apparently it doesn't s forget I mentioned it," she murmured.

We were then surrounded by our family and friends, all trying to congratulate us. While we were in the middle of celebratory hugs and kisses, the minister quietly slipped out, his mind working on his next sermon. He was going to praise the strong love he had seen here today. I smiled at the thought.

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_A/N: So, it's been what? Around about six months since my last update? First of all let me apologize to those of you who have been waiting for an update. I know it sucks when someone takes this long to update and I hate it as a reader as well. If you're interested here's my reason for not posting. _

_First of all I had a general lack of inspiration to continue any Twilight related writing. It was mostly due to the disappointment I felt over the New Moon movie and several other books and tv-shows and movies that captured my interest. _

_Second and most importantly, life was pretty much a roller coaster over the past several months. Not only am I trying to get a degree by studying outside my full time job, me and my husband have also been trying to get pregnant through a treatment called ICSI. The hormones from the treatments and the overall lack of time really killed that last bit of inspiration when it came to fanfiction. _

_I've picked up on my writing about two months ago, but I first concentrated on my original stories. I am now restarting my fanfiction writing, but I am not going to make any promises about updates, simply because I can't predict how busy my schedule is going to get._

_For those of you who have stuck by me this long, thank you soooo much for not giving up on me. I love all my readers and I would love to hear what you think of this new chapter._

_I hope to 'see' you guys again soon._

_Love,_

_Mo_


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor it's characters. I only own an active imagination. (Author's note at the end)

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Chapter fourteen

**Epov**

When the wedding was over, I took Bella's arm and guided her up the stairs, while most of our family went out to hunt or move to a safer place to stay for the time being. We weren't exactly sure about what was going to happen once Bella received an extra dose of venom, so they had retreated into the city where they'd wait for the okay from Carlisle.

As I helped Bella get out of her dress I finally allowed myself to see all the signs that she was only barely hanging in there. During the day I was afraid to let myself see it, because then I'd be tempted to cancel the wedding and have Bella changed first, while I knew that she and I both wanted to be bound together before she received our version of immortality.

She grimaced as she tugged on a comfortable nightgown. "How are you holding up, love?" I whispered as I helped her get into bed.

"Barely. I am starting to feel like I'm burning from the inside out. Could you and Carlisle please hurry this along?"

"Of course, love. Carlisle?" I called, knowing he would hear me.

He was in the doorway in a flash holding a tray of the things we'd need. He handed me a stainless steel bowl.

"Get as much of your venom in as you can," he ordered before bending over Bella and checking her vitals.

I closed my eyes, my mouth open over the bowl and conjured the memory of Bella's sweet blood when it had first called to me. I reflexively cringed, but forced myself to continue, since it was the quickest way to get my venom flowing.

Carlisle looked up and nodded, silently asking me to hand the bowl over. "Why don't you get into bed behind Bella and hold her," he said aloud, mostly for her benefit.

I nodded and carefully crawled into bed and moved Bella until she was nestled in my arms with her back to my chest.

"Bella, can you look at me for a moment. I'd like to tell you what we're going to do," Carlisle murmured, his thoughts tinged with worry over her sallow complexion.

But Bella's eyes fluttered and settled on his face. She hardly seemed coherent during Carlisle's short explanation, but in the end she said: "Hurry up. Don't need explaining, just his venom."

Carlisle gave me a wry smile as he took her arm and carefully sought the best place to put the needle into her skin. He took it from the bedside table and moved to insert it into Bella's vein. He looked up at me for a moment and then with a nod, he pressed the needle forward and slowly pushed the plunger down.

Bella's heart gave a heavy thud and then started thundering wildly. Carlisle grabbed the second needle to add more venom, but this time as he place the metal tip to her skin it slowly but surely bent into a curl.

He skin was no longer penetrable.

"What the..?" Carlisle drew the syringe back and stared at the bent metal in shock.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Bella's blood curdling scream stopped every thought and sound in the room. I clutched her closer to my chest.

"Shhh...my love. I'm here." I murmured. "I'm here and I'm never leaving your side. Just hang on, you'll get through it."

She seemed to settle a little at my voice, so I started humming her a song while my eyes sought Carlisle's.

"Your venom is doing it's job. I just wish I knew how it will affect her. With her blood being a mix of two magical creatures and all," he said quietly.

"I know. I'm choosing to believe Gran in this, though, and I'm putting my trust in her statement that Bella will be unique."

Carlisle chuckled warmly. "That woman is something else. Oh, Alice just left me a message that Gran has decided to leave. She had muttered something about not wanting to face the dumb brute and she took off."

I frowned, mulling over why Gran would have decided to leave. "Should we call her and ask her why she left?"

"According to Alice she isn't answering any of her calls, so I doubt that she would answer ours," Carlisle said with a shake of his head. "I'm sure she will inform us in case there is anything to worry about."

"I guess so. It's still strange that she would leave in the midst of all this."

"I can only conclude that she sees us taking care of this in the best possible way. If Bella or any of her family would be in danger, I think she would have stayed."

Bella cried out again, drawing my attention away from our conversation. Instead I focused on talking to her, trying to calm her down and as long as I didn't stay silent for longer than a few minutes, she lay relatively still. I only hoped it was because she didn't feel as much pain when I talked, and not because of some subconscious desire not to worry me.

All I could do for now was hold her close and watch her go through this, while praying that she would come out of this the same Bella as I had married earlier in the day.

It already seemed like a life time ago.

Carlisle sat quietly in a chair near the door, watching us both. When he noticed me looking his way he gave me a smile. "It's strange, changing her like this. I never even thought about it when I changed you or the others. I wonder if you would have been better off had I done it like this, with a syringe."

I thought it over for a moment but then shook my head. "No, first of all, back then they wouldn't have had the same strong syringes and second of all, the quickest way is by introducing it straight from the source. In Emmet's case, you wouldn't have had the time to get syringes, then had them filled with venom. He would have been dead before you got the first shot in."

"I suppose you're right. She's doing well, quiet. I wonder how she manages to stay so still."

"We can ask her when she wakes up, but if it's anything like the burn we've all experienced, I doubt she'd want to talk about it."

The night passed without much incident. A few hours in, Alice and Jasper came to relieve Carlisle, so that he could hunt before the wolves got here. It was a worry I had tried hard not to think about, with Bella changing, but time was running out and I had no idea what we were in for.

Alice was unusually quiet as she stared at Bella and I on the bed. "What's wrong Alice?" I asked.

"I can't see her. It's like that time when she retreated into herself. It's all fuzzy and I guess it worries me."

I nodded, knowing I couldn't say or do much to alleviate her worries. After all, I had the same ones.

Some time later Tanya and Seth came in to check on our progress. It was close to three in the morning by then.

"They've halted to regroup. They finally figured out I was no longer with them. From what I can guess they'll be a few hours later," Seth said quietly.

"Did they not realize you were gone before now?" I asked him.

"Not really. Once they're on a trail they don't let go of it until they've found their target. Like bloodhounds."

I snorted, I couldn't help it. "I don't think they'll appreciate the comparison."

Sethre shrugged one shoulder. "I'm one of them and it doesn't bother me."

Carlisle came back into the room then and asked the others to leave. I sat up a little straighter. "Carlisle, what's wrong?"

"I've spoken to Gran."

"What? When?"

"She called me when I was out hunting. It looks like the Volturi are going to come down on us."

"What? Why?"

"Apparently word travels fast."

"But why didn't she stay then? She knows that the Volturi coming to investigate only spells trouble!"

"All she would say about it, was that she has a history with one of the guards and she can't handle seeing him again. Not in this life time, were her exact words."

"I can't believe this."

"We'll deal with this, Edward. We'll keep our family safe, no matter what."

"You can't promise me that, Carlisle. I know how brutal they are. I've seen it in your thoughts, remember? They won't give us a chance to explain, they'll swoop in and rip our entire family apart."

The door to the bedroom burst open and we both jumped. "And they'll come for me and Seth first," Tanya exclaimed as she hurried forward.

"Tanya, settle down. As far as Gran told me, things will work themselves out, but we have to keep out tempers in check."

She snorted. "Yes, and the Volturi are so well known for their lenience towards anything that's not considered within their idea of normal."

"Tanya," Carlisle said quietly. "There is nothing we can do about it right now. We have to sit this out and hope for the best. The only comfort we have, is that together we are a force to be reckoned with."

She sighed miserably and flopped down on the foot of the bed. Her mind was whirling with emotions she couldn't put into words. I gave her a sympathetic smile, because I knew exactly where she was coming from. We all knew just how hard it had been on Tanya and her sisters when their mother had been destroyed by the Volturi and now she had an entirely new thing to worry about. Her non-vampire mate. Just like I did.

"You know," a soft bell like voice spoke suddenly. "You should all try not to be so gloomy."

I jerked in surprise, jostling Bella as I realized it was her voice. I blinked and then blinked again when her familiar brown eyes were staring back at me. Her skin still felt warm, if not slightly warmer than before my venom had entered her system and her heart was a slow steady drumbeat in the background.

I inhaled sharply at the realization that she hadn't turned into a vampire and the lack of smell of her overpowering blood was what finally shook my out of my stupor.

"Bella, you're up."

"Yeah, and I feel great. What? You look freaked out," she asked as she sat up. She looked around at the others in the room and frowned. "In fact you all look freaked out."

How were any of us going to explain this when I was certain that none of us had a real idea as to what was going on?

"Bella," I started slowly. "How are you feeling love?"

"Great. I feel so much better now. But, Edward you still look like you've just seen a ghost, or something similarly shocking to a vampire."

"In a way, I have."

**Bpov**

I swallowed thickly. That was not the response I had hoped for. To be perfectly honest. I was mortified at his response, even more so because Carlisle and Tanya were seeing it first hand. Trying to cover up the hurt, I gave him a tight smile and slowly got up out of bed to check how I looked in the mirror.

"Bella, wait," Edward said hurriedly as he caught my arm.

"Why should I? Don't I deserve to know why you've so clearly lost all interest in me? I seem to repulse you, so I want to know why."

"Oh god, I am doing this all wrong. Love, I'm not repulsed by you. Anything but. It's just... You don't look like a regular vampire. Can't you feel your heart beating?"

"What?" I stared at him for a moment, baffled by his words, but then the slow steady thump in my chest finally registered and my eyes widened. "Holy crow! I'm not a vampire. What? How?"

"I don't know love. But your eyes are the same and your temperature is the same. It's just the resilience of your skin that's the same as ours. We'd need to test some thing to know what other vampire traits you have."

I stared at him for a moment, my mind going a mile a minute and then suddenly I remembered Gran's words about my change.

"I need to talk to Gran. She's the one that told me I'd be unique. She can be the one to tell me what I am exactly," I say hurriedly to no one in particular.

Carlisle shifted and I could hear his clothes rustle, so I deducted that my hearing certainly improved.

"Bella," he whispered. "Your grandmother left."

"Well, give me a phone then. If she knows what's good for her she'll answer my call."

Carlisle wordlessly handed me a cell phone. I punched the first number but the little phone crumbled under my finger. I stared at it disbelievingly.

"Well that's a check for the strength part," Tanya chuckled from beside me. "Why don't you tell me her number and I'll hand you the phone when it's ringing?"

"I hope I can keep it in once piece."

"Won't know until you try, right?" she replied with a light chuckle.

The sound was so melodious I wanted to ask her to laugh again, but she was already dialling and handed it to me before I could open my mouth. I gingerly held it to my ear and waited for Gran to pick up.

"Hello Bella," my grandmother answered on the third ring.

"Gran. Enlighten me, please."

She paused for a moment and blew out a heavy breath. "Bella, like I told you, you are unique. Your blood has managed to bond with the venom that Edward got into your body. It's now similar to that of a halfbreed vampire."

"Excuse me? A what now?"

"A half breed vampire. When a human and a vampire have sex and the woman gets pregnant she will birth a half breed. They look like humans, have beating hearts like humans and even their temperature is comparable to humans, but in pretty much everything else they are more like vampires. You will start to crave blood from time to time, you strength and speed and your senses will have improved. It's all the benefits of their race combined with that of your former self."

I couldn't respond. I was looking up at Edward who was frozen almost like a statue. I would have laughed, had I not been frozen in the same manner.

The beeping in my ear finally pulled me from my stunned reverie. I hadn't even heard my grandmother's goodbye.

"Well," Carlisle said, in an attempt to break the stunned silence that settled over all of us. "That's interesting."

My eyes snapped up at him and I had to bite back a growl, when I noticed how intensely he was studying me. I didn't want him to look at me like I was something to be studied. I was his daughter-in-law, not a science project!

When he stood and approached me, my baser instincts kicked in and I snarled in warning. He wordlessly raised his hands and took a step back.

"Bella, settle down, please. I just want to check your vitals," he offered.

"No! I am not some guinea pig for you to perform tests on!"

He actually had the audacity to laugh, which tipped my already frazzled state into furious. I barely registered Alice's frantic words before a red haze descended over my vision and I lunged for Carlisle.

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_A/N: Right, where to begin? First, naturally, an apology to those of you who have been waiting forever since the last time I updated. I'm am truly sorry for the major fail in my promises to update more regularly._

_Second, why did I leave you hanging? I explained last chapter that my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant and that hasn't been going too well. I'm not going to dive into it all that deeply, but I've been having a hard time with it. We're not giving up yet, but for now we've postponed further treatments. Enough about all this non-fun stuff, I have some more info on my plans for my fanfiction._

_This chapter, as you all know, was short. I am, however, working on the next chapter already and that one is going to be longer. I am hoping to get it up in under two weeks, three at the most. I'll try to keep a two to three week schedule until this story is put to bed. I will then proceed to finish my other stories. So, for those of you who are reading my other unfinished stories, I will get to those, but it may take a little time._

_Thank you all for reading._

_Hugz,_

_Mo_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. It all belongs to Mrs. Meyer.**

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Chapter fifteen

**Alice's pov**

One minute I was trying to see Bella's future and I couldn't find one and the next Carlisle laughs and it clears up one horrifying second before it occurs. I knew Bella would hate herself if it came true so I screamed at her to stop, but she didn't.

Of course Edward had seen it right with me and since he was closest to her, he grabbed her to try and retrain her.

Bella sounded like a feral animal that was backed into a corner and I think because we were all too shocked by that, we failed to realize that despite appearances we were still dealing with a newborn. It took us just a fraction of a second too long to respond when she turned on Edward and snapped her teeth near his throat.

In that moment the entire room erupted into chaos.

Seth, triggered by the high running emotions in the room, shifted unexpectedly and stood before Tanya in an effort to protect her, while me and my family were trying to get Bella away from Edward without either one of them getting hurt.

"ENOUGH!" Esme bellowed from behind me.

I jumped, because with everything that was going on, I hadn't even noticed her coming in.

I glanced up from where I had my hands clamped on Bella's shoulders and found Bella staring in horror at Edward's face, while her hand gently smoothed over the small scar she had caused by biting his neck.

Reassured that Bella was somewhat back to her normal self, I stepped back, urging Jasper to back off with me.

"Everybody out," Esme ordered.

Murmurs of objection rose from the vampires gathered, but Seth apparently agreed with Esme and used his body to get Tanya out of the room. One look at Esme was enough for me to grab Jasper's hand and pull him onto the landing.

When Carlisle was at the door, Esme called him back and asked him to close the door behind him. It was to give Bella a sense of privacy, but at the same time it hurt a little that she thought we shouldn't be there.

The hurt quickly subsided when I heard her give Carlisle and Edward a lecture that none of us would want to be subjected to at any time.

**Esme's pov**

Honestly, how could my husband and oldest son ever think that a newborn vampire, no matter how unique she might be, would stay calm after an entrance into our world like that?

When I had approached the house, I had just heard the small misunderstanding Bella had had with Edward. Not wanting to interfere in all this, I had stayed outside with Emmett and Rosalie, waiting eagerly to see Bella in her new form.

I had not expected this to happen.

I was furious at Carlisle for laughing at his newest daughter when she was obviously in turmoil and even more so with Edward for not talking her down, but instead restraining her like some caged animal.

So I sent the others out and waited until Carlisle had closed the door before I told them exactly what I thought.

"Carlisle, shame on you! What in the world possessed you to introduce a new vampire to our world in this manner? There was a natural enemy in the room for crying out loud. And then you laugh at her! Laugh, when you can clearly hear the trepidation and tension in her voice. I was outside and still I managed to catch that. I thought you had more tact. I thought you were more gentle than that."

"I wasn't laughing at her, love."

"That's what it may have seemed like to you, but you should have known better. You should have seen this coming."

"But, Esme..."

"Do not but, Esme, me. I am not going to discuss this. I want you to think it over and take my comments seriously when you do it and then come back here to apologize to Bella."

"Esme, really. I am not a child to be sent to their room!" he argued.

Bella's hiss and tense posture proved my point sufficiently, so I didn't feel the need to use words. Instead, I raised one eyebrow and indicated my head towards the door.

Carlisle, clever man that he sometimes is, recognized defeat and retreated.

"Thank you," Edward said quietly, still holding onto Bella with a vice grip.

I walked right up to him and forcefully removed his arms from her. Bella gave me a thankful smile and quickly strode over to the window. She carefully opened it and started doing slow breathing exercises. Satisfied that she was starting to feel a bit better, I turned on my son.

"Whatever I said to Carlisle goes double for you mister. How can you let your wife wake up to you gawking at her like she's some sort of freak show, when she's only become a more exquisite version of herself. The first thing you should have done was let her know how much you loved her and let her know you were happy that she woke up unharmed."

"But..."

"Shush. You know how fragile the balance between emotions of a newborn are. You've seen four changes up close and you know how hard it can be, especially for women to wake up with what feels like an entirely new body."

Edward hung his head. "I know. I'm truly sorry. Would you mind giving us some privacy so I can tend to my wife?"

"I won't mind. Just give me a minute alone with her, will you?"

He looked reluctant, but left the bedroom nonetheless. When we were finally alone in the room, I took a small step towards Bella.

She really had become even more beautiful now. Her features were a little more refined and her body resembled that of the most seductive of vampires. Even Tanya couldn't beat her in that department.

"Bella, sweetie?" I asked quietly.

She turned around and gave me a tentative smile. "I've made a complete fool of myself haven't I?"

"Of course not, sweetheart. Those men have been the fools. They should have sent everyone out of the room and allowed you and Edward to be alone together first. They made the same mistake with me. They were crowding me and I nearly tore Carlisle's head off."

Bella's eyes widened. "Really? Did you bite him?"

"I did. He still has the scar on his lower left arm. I'll ask him to show it to you some time."

She gave me a grateful smile, but her face quickly turned into one of pain.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

"I really want to hug you, but I'm afraid I'll end up hurting you."

Breathing a sigh in relief, I approached her and gave her the hug she wanted. A quiet sob escaped her before she finally allowed herself to hug me back.

**Bella's pov**

Nothing in the world compared to Esme's hugs. She was everything my mother never was. She was warm and caring and her hug was both comforting and reassuring.

"Thank you," I whispered after a few moments.

"Any time, sweetheart. Now, do you think you're ready to speak to Edward, because he's wearing a hole in the floor."

I smiled when I heard his pacing stop. I could almost sense his need to come in and hold me and all of a sudden the need I felt for him was overwhelming.

"I need him," I murmured.

The door to the room was open and in a startling speed, Edward had replaced Esme. My new eyes could take the movement in, but it was difficult for me to process mentally, so I hissed a little. Edward immediately let me go and was at the other end of the room. His face looked heartbroken, which in turn made me feel heartbroken and I hissed again.

"What do you want me to do, love? Do I need to leave?"

"No! Don't you dare leave me alone in this!" I cried out helplessly. "I feel lost and out of control and you're not helping at all! You move at vampire speed and I have no idea what you expect me to do or say and I have no control over all these confusing emotions!"

At the end of my completely illogical rant I was crying.

This time Edward approached me at human speed and I crumpled into his opened arms, clinging to him with all of my strength.

"Honey, too tight," he groaned softly.

Immediately I felt guilty and jumped back, feeling mortified. "God, I am messing everything up. I feel like I have the worst kind of PMS known to the world."

Edward gave me a comforting smile and said quietly. "That will go away soon enough. Why don't we try to hunt first and then we'll take some time to talk so I can explain how the vampire side of your body works. Would you like that?"

I swallowed thickly and immediately felt a sweet liquid flood my mouth, which I assumed was venom, a dull ache starting in my throat at the same time. "Yes, please," I croaked.

He reached his hand out and I tentatively slipped mine into it. I expected him to make for the door at once, but instead he stared at me intently. "First, I need you to squeeze my hand and I will tell you when the pressure it too much, okay?"

"Why would I do that?"

"So you know when your touch hurts me and when it doesn't. Remember, I can take a lot, you just need to know now when your newborn strength will be too much for me."

My shoulders loosened at those words. I hadn't had any idea at how tense I was, holding his hand, until that moment. So, I did as he asked and he told me when it felt tight and when too tight and with remarkable speed, my brain processed this knowledge.

He asked me to hold his hand gently and I could do it perfectly. He tested me on a few more minor things and then gave me a soft kiss on my lips. I felt my body respond to a whole new need, but I reigned in my flaring hormones. My brain kept the need to feed at the forefront of my mind, so I let him pull back.

"Edward, I need to hunt. I'm starting to lose control," I whispered.

He simply pecked my lips once more and then lead me out of the room. We walked down the stairs at human pace, giving me time to adjust to the scents of the other vampires in the house. Edward deliberately walked past them without stopping and took me out into the woods behind the house.

"Now, take a deep whiff and tell me where you think you can find your first pray," he said, with a smile tugging at his lips.

Half of my brain was busy mentally stripping him and licking every inch of his body, while the other half complied with his order. The air was so full of fragrances that it took me a beat before I could discern anything that smelled edible.

Instinctively I crouched down, cast a glance in Edward's direction and then took off running. I could hear his light footfalls behind me, but I was focused mainly on the smell of blood ahead of me.

I reached the edge of a small stream and I found myself staring at a young buck. He had been drinking, but now it sensed the danger across the water and tensed in preparation to flee. It's velvety brown eyes tugged at something inside me, but when I inhaled a moment later, the feral animal within me took over all of my other senses and I hissed.

The buck bolted. I smiled in anticipation and darted after it. I was a bit disappointed at how quickly I had caught up to the animal, but it was forgotten as soon as my teeth sank into it's neck and the hot blood came rushing into my mouth.

I swallowed hungrily and purred deep in my throat as the warm liquid soothed my frazzled nerves and calmed me down completely.

When the last of the blood was drained I stood and turned to where I knew Edward was watching me. He was grinning devilishly.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Infinitely so, but I need more." I answered honestly.

"Well, you seem to be a natural at this, so go ahead."

I gave him a quick kiss and then focused on finding my next meal. When I was done I felt overstuffed, the way I used to after Thanksgiving dinner. I felt a pang of regret for not being able to enjoy things like that anymore, but when I looked up at Edward I knew that no matter what I would miss out on, getting to share his life for the rest of eternity would compensate for all of it.

"Love? Are you ready to discuss a few things?"

I took the hand he offered and allowed him to pull me back to the house. We stopped walking before we reached hearing distance of the others and Edward sat me down in his lap on a low branch hanging over the path.

"My love, I apologize for the way things went earlier today. If I could I would go back and do it all over again. I would have been alone with you in that room and I would have talked to you until you knew at least the basics of our kind."

"Edward, you don't have to tell me all this. I know that you would have wanted things to go different. I just never thought I would be so... Frazzled."

"It's not okay, though. Bella, Esme was right for getting angry with me. I have seen three of my family members change and I know better than anyone else how they felt afterward. I have read all of their minds and I know also from my own experience how disoriented one can be after the change."

"Sweetheart, stop. I don't blame you for anything, so you shouldn't either. I have calmed down considerably now and I understand how things have gotten so out of hand this morning. Besides, we have more urgent matters to worry about, don't we?"

Edward suddenly seemed to realize just how little time we had to discuss our own issues and he quickly got us both down. "Let's get back to the house before the wolves arrive."

**Edward's pov**

We hadn't even taken a couple of steps when I heard a low wolf whistle coming from the house. I didn't recognize the mental voice, but I could see that this particular vampire was eying Vanessa and he was not thinking anything respectable towards her. I growled reflexively and urged Bella to move faster.

When we reached the house I was suddenly assaulted by several shocked thoughts. The most prominent one was Esme who was focused on Bella's slightly torn shirt and her disheveled state. She was jumping to the wrong conclusions, as were most of the vampires present. I quickly took off my sweater and gave it to Bella to wear.

When she gave me an inquisitive look, I looked at the tear in her shirt that showed just a hint of her bra. She blanched and had the shirt on quicker than any human would be able to process. Only when my mind observed this, did I realize that Vanessa was inside the house.

Almost at the same moment, Alice came flitting out of the house, bringing Vanessa's scent with her. "Don't worry, Edward," she muttered. "I saw that it would be fine. If Vanessa is here, things might go better with the wolves?" She didn't sound so sure on that last part, but I was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

It wasn't until that moment that I fully registered the amount off vampires that had been added to our group. It was enough to make anyone stop in their tracks, even a large pack of wolves hell-bent on destroying our kind.

I should probably have felt better about that, but knowing that these were the infamous Volturi guards, I was only put further on edge. Add to that, that one of them had set his sights on seducing my sister-in-law, I was ready to pounce at any second.

"Edward, stop stalling," Alice urged as she tugged on my hand. "You and Bella need to change before the wolves get here. We have tactics to discuss and we have the Volturi to introduce to Bella and Bella to the Volturi."

I nodded and with my arm wrapped tightly around Bella's shoulders, I followed Alice inside.

The first one that stepped forward was Aro. I recognized his face from Carlisle's memories, but aside from his features there was nothing I could compare to the images I had seen through Carlisle over the years. Aro was dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that claimed he loved New York.

"Ah, Edward and his new wife, Isabella," Aro interrupted my thoughts. "How lovely to finally meet you two in person. I have been very curious about the two of you from the moment I heard the news about your young love."

I smiled tightly, wondering where he could have heard this news. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. I must say I am surprised at the way you look. I somehow figured you'd be wearing robes of some sort."

Aro laughed a high pitched laugh and clapped his hands as if he saw a small child doing something silly. I tried not to take offense, but it was difficult.

"My dear young Edward. We do have the robes and all the ceremonial wear, of course. When we travel, however, we much prefer the anonymity of more common human wear. Besides, I do so enjoy the feel of cotton on my skin. It makes one feel extremely powerful to know that with little to no effort the fabric would be non existent, while with great care it stays in tact."

I nodded, but couldn't say I fully understood him and from the tenor of the thoughts around us, I wasn't the only one that considered him slightly odd. "Aro, if you'd allow us, we would prefer to freshen up before we meet the rest of your guard."

"Of course! Of course. Go and do whatever you need to. We'll be here when you return."

The was a world of meaning hidden in those words, but since he kept his thoughts very carefully concealed, I couldn't discern them other that the obvious warning that we were insignificant in his eyes.

Tugging Bella along with me, I made my way upstairs and into our room. When the door closed behind us I turned around and crushed her against me, burying my face in her long hair.

"Edward?" she asked quietly. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just worried about what will happen."

She pulled away slightly and took my fave between her hands, fixing me with a level stare. "I know that there is no such thing as privacy in this house, but promise to talk to me about it after all this is done? I don't like seeing you this troubled and not knowing what's the matter."

"I promise. We don't have much time, though, so we need to get a move on."

When we returned to the living room, Vanessa and Charlie came rushing forward to hug Bella. She very carefully wrapped them in her arms and held them.

Charlie was hesitant about something and when Bella asked him what was wrong, he admitted that he had been called while we were out with the request to come back to Forks. Apparently there had been two bear attacks and his officers needed their chief.

Bella was obviously struggling with her emotions when she told him not to worry about her, and to go.

"Are you sure, kiddo? You know I'll stay if you want me to."

"I know dad, but they need you too. As soon as we can, we'll come home too."

"You know that the door is always open for you. Day or night."

"I know, dad. Thank you for being here for me."

As they said their goodbyes Vanessa hung back, her mind subdued and sad. I caught her eye and indicated that she should say goodbye to her father as well. She shrugged one shoulder as if to say she didn't care, but when Charlie released Bella and held his arms open to her, she fell into them sobbing.

"Shhhh, baby girl. It'll be fine. You'll be back in Forks before you know it."

"I'm sorry for everything I've done, dad. I've been such a brat."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "It's alright, sweetheart. Blame it on your mother's genes. Sirens tend to get a little bratty in their teens. It'll pass when you get older."

She gave him a watery smile and with another round of hugs, Charlie went on his way. Just in time to avoid running into the wolves if he was careful.

Aro's mental voice called us into the room, so I steered both sisters to the door. They clung to each other as they sat on the sofa, facing the entire Volturi guard. I took up my spot behind the two of them and waited patiently for Aro to begin speaking.

The rest of our family moved until they were in a semi circle behind us and I noticed that the rest of Tanya's family had joined us by now. Even without the Volturi's help, we would be able to stop the wolves.

The silence in the room was deafening. Even the thoughts of those around were muted, so when Aro suddenly laughed, we all jumped, his guard included.

"Would you look at this silliness? Really, what are we doing? Having a trial?" he asked nobody in particular.

Caius rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "Please, relax. We are not here because we have found fault with any of you. There have been no infringements of the law and even though there are a handful of humans that know our secret, they too have secrets to hide, which makes us certain ours is safe."

Marcus sighed softly and joined his brothers on the forefront of the guard. "We merely came to give our congratulations and assist in the situation with the shape shifters."

It almost felt as if Jasper had used his powers on the room, because the tension seemed to leave it in an instant.

"Come, let us chat," Aro said, holding out his arm in invitation.

Carlisle was the first one of us to step forward and grasp Aro's hand and I watched for the first time how Aro's gift worked.


End file.
